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                                                      PRINTER'S NO. 2214

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA


SENATE BILL

No. 1500 Session of 2008


        INTRODUCED BY BRUBAKER, RAFFERTY, WOZNIAK, BAKER, MUSTO, VANCE
           AND WAUGH, JUNE 19, 2008

        REFERRED TO AGRICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS, JUNE 19, 2008

                                     AN ACT

     1  Amending the act of July 2, 1935 (P.L.589, No.210), entitled, as
     2     amended, "An act to safeguard human health and life by
     3     providing for the issuance of permits to, and regulation of
     4     persons and entities selling milk and milk products;
     5     conferring powers, and imposing duties on the Secretary of
     6     Agriculture; and otherwise providing for the administration
     7     of the act; and imposing penalties," further providing for
     8     definitions; providing for raw milk products; and abrogating
     9     inconsistent regulations.

    10     The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
    11  hereby enacts as follows:
    12     Section 1.  Section 1 of the act of July 2, 1935 (P.L.589,
    13  No.210), referred to as the Milk Sanitation Law, amended October
    14  13, 1959 (P.L.1301, No.435) and June 19, 1982 (P.L.558, No.163),
    15  is amended to read:
    16     Section 1.  Be it enacted, &c., That for the purpose and
    17  within the meaning of this act, the following definitions shall
    18  obtain:
    19     "Milk" means milk, skimmed milk, cream, sour milk, sour
    20  cream, buttermilk, and all other fluid derivatives of milk.
    21     "Milk products" means ice cream, ice cream mix, custard ice

     1  cream, french ice cream, frozen custard, and other similar
     2  frozen products, and all dairy products used in the manufacture
     3  thereof.
     4     "Canned milk" means condensed, evaporated or concentrated
     5  milk in hermetically sealed containers or for manufacturing
     6  purposes.
     7     "Certified Milk" means milk from dairy farms operated in
     8  accordance with the "Methods and Standards for the Production
     9  and Distribution of 'Certified Milk,' last adopted by the
    10  American Association of Medical Milk Commissions Incorporated,"
    11  and the production and handling of which shall be certified to
    12  by a commission instituted in compliance therewith.
    13     "Secretary" means the Secretary of Agriculture of this
    14  Commonwealth, or his authorized representative.
    15     "Person" includes singular and plural, masculine and
    16  feminine, and any individual, firm, copartnership, institution,
    17  association, or corporation thereof.
    18     "To Sell," "for sale" or "sold" and similar terms means the
    19  selling, exchanging, delivering, or having in possession, care,
    20  control, or custody with intent to sell, exchange, or deliver,
    21  or to offer or to expose for sale.
    22     "Dairy farm" is a place or premise where one or more cows are
    23  kept, and a part of all the milk from which is sold or delivered
    24  to any person.
    25     "Milk plant" is any place or premise or establishment where
    26  milk is collected, separated, processed, stored, bottled,
    27  pasteurized, or prepared in any manner for sale as milk, milk
    28  products or manufactured dairy products.
    29     "Approved inspector" is one, who has proven to the
    30  satisfaction of the secretary, to be a person of good character,
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     1  trained by school and experience to carry on dairy farm and milk
     2  plant inspection in a capable and efficient manner, and has
     3  received a certificate of approval from the secretary.
     4  Applications for certificates of approval for approved
     5  inspectors shall be made on forms which may be secured from the
     6  Secretary of Agriculture, and shall be accompanied by a fee of
     7  fifteen ($15) dollars. Certificates of approval shall expire on
     8  December thirty-first of each year. Applications for renewal
     9  shall be made on forms satisfactory to the Secretary of
    10  Agriculture, and shall be accompanied by a registration fee of
    11  five ($5) dollars, and shall be returned to the Secretary of
    12  Agriculture not later than December fifteenth of each year.
    13  Certificates of approval shall not constitute an approved
    14  inspector an official employe, agent or authorized
    15  representative of the Department of Agriculture, nor shall he
    16  represent himself so to be.
    17     Certificates of approval may be refused, suspended or revoked
    18  for cause, upon such notice and subject to such conditions, as
    19  the secretary shall deem necessary.
    20     "Municipality" includes any city, borough, town, or township
    21  in this Commonwealth.
    22     "Milk for manufacturing purposes" means milk produced for
    23  processing and manufacturing into products for human consumption
    24  but not subject to requirements of milk for pasteurization.
    25     "Manufactured dairy products" means butter, cheese (natural
    26  or processed), dry whole milk, nonfat dry milk, dry buttermilk,
    27  dry whey, evaporated milk (whole or skim), condensed whole and
    28  condensed skim milk (plain or sweetened), and such other
    29  products for human consumption, as may be designated by the
    30  secretary.
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     1     "Bed and breakfast homestead or inn" means a private
     2  residence which contains no more than ten bedrooms used for
     3  providing overnight accommodations to the public and in which
     4  breakfast is the only meal served and is included in the charge
     5  for the room.
     6     "Farmers' market" means a building, structure or place owned,
     7  leased or otherwise in possession of a person, municipal
     8  corporation or public or private organization, used or intended
     9  to be used by two or more farmers or an association of farmers
    10  for the purpose of selling agricultural commodities directly to
    11  consumers and which is located within this Commonwealth.
    12     "Manufactured raw milk products" means butter, natural or
    13  processed cheese, dry whole milk, nonfat dry milk, dry
    14  buttermilk, dry whey, evaporated milk, whole or skim, condensed
    15  whole and condensed skim milk, plain or sweetened, and such
    16  other products for human consumption, as may be designated by
    17  the secretary, manufactured from raw milk.
    18     "Retail food establishment" means an establishment which
    19  stores, prepares, packages, vends, offers for sale or otherwise
    20  provides food for human consumption and which relinquishes
    21  possession of food to a consumer directly, or indirectly,
    22  through a delivery service such as home delivery of grocery
    23  orders or delivery service provided by common carriers. The term
    24  does not include dining cars operated by a railroad company in
    25  interstate commerce or a bed and breakfast homestead or inn.
    26     Section 2.  The act is amended by adding a section to read:
    27     Section 2.1.  The secretary shall issue permits for the sale
    28  of raw milk, "raw milk products" and "manufactured raw milk
    29  products" by members of entities, including cooperatives,
    30  incorporated groups or other associations, if all of the
    20080S1500B2214                  - 4 -     

     1  following apply:
     2     (a)  The entity is registered with the Department of
     3  Agriculture as required by the department.
     4     (b)  The entity inspects and issues permits to its members in
     5  accordance with this act.
     6     (c)  The entity provides to the secretary, in the manner
     7  required by the secretary, independent third-party verification
     8  that all persons permitted under this section are in compliance
     9  with standards established under this act.
    10     (d)  Raw milk products and manufactured raw milk products
    11  produced under this section may:
    12     (1)  Be sold only under the direct supervision of a person
    13  holding a valid raw milk permit.
    14     (2)  Not be sold to any person for the purposes of resale to
    15  another person except for sale to a public eating establishment
    16  or a bed and breakfast homestead or inn for on-site consumption
    17  by patrons of the establishment.
    18     (3)  Not be repackaged in any manner for the purposes of
    19  resale.
    20     (d.1)  The limitations under the sale of "manufactured raw
    21  milk products" shall not apply to cheese manufactured from raw
    22  milk that has been aged a minimum of sixty (60) days.
    23     Section 3.  The Department of Agriculture shall promulgate
    24  regulations necessary to carry out the provisions of this act.
    25     Section 4.  All regulations inconsistent with the provisions
    26  of this act are abrogated to the extent of the inconsistency.
    27     Section 5.  This act shall take effect in 60 days.


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