Louisiana 2024 2024 Regular Session

Louisiana Senate Bill SB166 Comm Sub / Analysis

                    HASBSB166 SCOTTA 3576
SENATE SUMMARY OF HOUSE AMENDMENTS
SB 166	2024 Regular Session	Connick
KEYWORD AND SUMMARY AS RETURNED TO THE SENATE
PUBLIC HEALTH. Provides relative to seafood safety. (1/1/25)
SUMMARY OF HOUSE AMENDMENTS TO THE SENATE BILL
1. Adds an additional font requirement for certain seafood product packages.
DIGEST OF THE SENATE BILL AS RETURNED TO THE SENATE
SB 166 Reengrossed 2024 Regular Session	Connick
Proposed law prohibits potentially misleading packaging and marketing of seafood products
as Louisiana products.
Proposed law provides for an exception to the prohibition if the product package meets
certain criteria.
Proposed law requires the commissioner of agriculture to ensure compliance and issue fines
for violation of proposed law.
Present law requires all state agencies, state institutions, and local school districts that
operate food service facilities for students, patients, or inmates to only utilize meat, poultry,
and seafood products that have met all Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry
requirements for grading and certification.
Proposed law adds that those entities only utilize domestic shrimp or domestic crawfish as
defined in proposed law.
Present law establishes a Chinese seafood warning label program.
Proposed law modernizes the warning label program to include all imported seafood.
Proposed law provides definition for "domestic shrimp" and "domestic crawfish".
Present law requires food service establishments that sell or provide cooked or prepared
crawfish or shrimp that originate outside of the United States to notify patrons that the
seafood is imported or to provide the country of origin for seafood. Present law requires the
Louisiana Department of Health to ensure compliance with present law.
Present law prohibits an owner or manager of a restaurant that sells imported crawfish or
shrimp from misrepresenting to the public, either verbally, on a menu, or on signs displayed
on the premises, that the crawfish or shrimp is domestic. Present law requires the district
attorney of the district where the restaurant is located to have jurisdiction over violations.
Proposed law combines the present law provisions and grants enforcement authority of both
provisions to the Louisiana Department of Health and increases fines issued by the
department.
Proposed law changes the notification requirement to require a disclaimer that imported
crawfish or shrimp may be sold at the establishment to be printed on a menu or placed on a
sign displayed at the front of the establishment.
Proposed law provides additional notification requirements for food establishments that sell
unpackaged crawfish or shrimp. HASBSB166 SCOTTA 3576
Proposed law requires the Louisiana Department of Health to establish a reporting
mechanism for members of the public to report suspected violations and provides for
limitations on liability for individuals who report.
Proposed law repeals provisions in the Sanitary Code relative to Chinese seafood.
Effective January 1, 2025.
(Amends R.S. 39:2101 and R.S. 40:5.5.2 and 5.5.4; adds R.S. 3:4706; repeals R.S.
40:4(A)(1)(b) and R.S. 56:578.14)
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Amanda Trapp
Researcher