Bill
LB 573
LB 573 requires meat/poultry operators to have disaster mitigation plans and provide healthcare, severance, and lost-revenue protections for workers and contractors during disaster
Status and Procedural Timeline
- Bill Number: LB 573
- Title: Adopt the Meat and Poultry Workers and Contractors Protection Act
- Introduced: January 22, 2025
- Referred to: Business and Labor Committee (January 24, 2025)
- Hearing: Notice of hearing for February 24, 2025
- Sponsor: Senator Dunixi Guereca (Principal Introducer)
- Legislature: Nebraska, One Hundred Ninth Legislature, First Session
Purpose and Intent
LB 573 creates the Meat and Poultry Workers and Contractors Protection Act to protect the health, economic stability, and civil rights of meat, poultry, and related workers during disasters and disruptions (e.g., avian influenza, pandemics, and other events). The bill aims to strengthen safety standards, expand protections for contract growers and contractors, ensure access to healthcare and severance benefits, and enhance enforcement and accountability through state labor oversight.
Key Provisions and Provisions Scope
- Coverage and definitions
- Covered industrial operator: a slaughterhouse/meatpacking plant with >250 employees, an enclosed large CAFO, or any facility required to obtain an NPDES permit.
- Covered worker: an employee performing labor for a covered industrial operator, including workers of affected contract growers or other affected contractors.
- Affected contract grower: CAFO owner under contract with a covered industrial operator whose operation is impacted by a disaster event.
- Affected contractor: an entity supplying workers to a covered industrial operator for disaster-related labor.
- CAFO: Defined per 40 C.F.R. 122.23.
- Disaster mitigation event and plan: Events and accompanying plans addressing animal welfare, processing continuity, and public health concerns.
- Disaster mitigation plan requirements (for each covered industrial operator)
- Identify potential disaster events and prior occurrences; plan to ensure animals have shelter, food, and water during extreme events.
- Increase flexibility and resiliency, including:
- Housing animals beyond intended slaughter dates if necessary.
- Contracting with small-scale, state-certified, mobile, or alternative capacity operations to maintain processing.
- Plans for depopulation, including rapid humane euthanasia where unavoidable, and access to PPE and labor.
- Plans for disposal of deceased animals in compliance with environmental and public health laws (and avoidance of unlined burial or onsite incineration).
- Plans to mitigate disease transmission (to humans and animals) during outbreaks (e.g., COVID-19, avian influenza) and other threats.
- General measures to prevent spread of other illnesses.
- Employment and compensation protections during disaster events
- Healthcare: At least two years of healthcare for covered workers affected by a disaster.
- Severance: At least 12 weeks of severance pay for covered workers terminated during or following a disaster event, calculated at the average weekly earnings during the disaster period.
- Lost revenue: For affected contract growers, compensation equal to the grower’s revenue from the covered industrial operator during the preceding 180 days if affected by a disaster event.
- Wage, rights, and protections
- Increases to labor standards for meatpacking/processing workers, including whistleblower protections and protections against discrimination.
- Civil rights mechanisms: Provisions to file civil rights actions for violations of the act.
- Enforcement authority: The Nebraska Director of Labor is empowered to investigate and resolve violations related to the act.
- Governance: A task force is established to oversee and promote good practices.
- Employment status and definitions
- The act defines employment relationships in the context of disaster mitigation and clarifies who is an employee for purposes of benefits and protections.
Enforcement, Oversight, and Timelines
- Enforcement: The Director of Labor may investigate violations and resolve complaints under the act.
- Complaints: Affected workers or contractors may file complaints; the department has authority to address and remediate violations.
- Implementation: The act requires the submission and enforcement of disaster mitigation plans by covered industrial operators; ongoing oversight by the Director of Labor and the established task force.
Potential Impacts
- Workers: Expanded health coverage, severance, lost revenue protections, and enhanced whistleblower and anti-discrimination protections.
- Contractors and CAFOs: New duties to implement disaster mitigation plans, provide compensation during disaster events, and adhere to enhanced labor safeguards.
- Public health and safety: Stronger preparedness for avian influenza and other disease threats; improved depopulation and disposal protocols.
- Enforcement: Increased regulatory oversight by the Nebraska Department of Labor and a dedicated task force to monitor compliance.
Notes
- The bill explicitly frames meat and poultry work as a high-risk sector and seeks to modernize protections in light of recent disruptions and pandemics. The hearing is scheduled for February 24, 2025.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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