H.R. 1380 — Meat and Poultry Special Investigator Act

This section provides the short title of the Act as the “Meat and Poultry Special Investigator Act.”

This section establishes within the Packers and Stockyards Division of the Department of Agriculture the Office of the Special Investigator for Competition Matters and requires the Secretary to appoint a Special Investigator to head it. As background, the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 regulates competition and trade practices in the livestock, meatpacking, and poultry sectors. The Special Investigator must use all available tools, including subpoenas, to investigate and prosecute violations of the Act; serve as the Department of Agriculture’s liaison to the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission on competition and trade practices in the food and agricultural sector; consult with the Department of Homeland Security on national security and critical infrastructure security in that sector; and maintain a staff of attorneys and other professionals with appropriate expertise. This section also authorizes the Special Investigator, notwithstanding title 28, United States Code, to bring any civil or administrative action authorized under the Act.