Suspends the fees collected and remitted to the Missouri Beef Industry Council until the United States Congress passes a law mandating country of origin label for beef

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Mazzie Christensen and 3 co-sponsors

HB 1697 suspends Missouri MBIC beef assessment fees until Congress enacts mandatory country-of-origin labeling for U.S.-born, raised, and slaughtered beef.

Referred: Emerging Issues(H)

#agriculture #departmentof

Main purpose

HB 1697 would add a new section (275.380) to Chapter 275, RSMo, to suspend state collection and remittance of statutory beef assessment fees to the Missouri Beef Industry Council (MBIC) until the U.S. Congress enacts a federal law making country‑of‑origin labeling (COOL) mandatory for beef that is exclusively born, raised, and slaughtered in the United States.

Key provisions

Adds Section 275.380 to RSMo.

Subsection 1: Immediately suspends, notwithstanding section 275.352, the collection and remittance of fees that are collected and remitted to the MBIC under sections 275.300–275.370. The suspension remains in effect until Congress enacts a law requiring the beef label to bear the phrase “Product of the U.S.A.” or a similar phrase establishing a mandatory country‑of‑origin label for beef exclusively born, raised, and slaughtered in the United States.

Subsection 2: If federal legislation causes the fee collection/remittance to be reinstated, and that federal law is later repealed, the state collection and remittance of those fees would again be suspended.

Who would be affected

Missouri Beef Industry Council: suspension would reduce or eliminate funds the Council receives from the state assessment, likely affecting its marketing, promotion, research, and producer‑education programs funded by those fees.

Missouri cattle producers and feeders: indirect effects could include changes in state‑sponsored promotion or research programs funded by the MBIC; some producers may support reinstatement if they value federal COOL, others may oppose loss of check‑off services.

Processors, packers, distributors and any entities required by state law to collect/remit the assessment under sections 275.300–275.370.

State agencies responsible for administering or overseeing collection/remittance of the assessment.

Fiscal and legal considerations

The bill does not specify dollar amounts; fiscal impact would equal the value of assessments remitted to the MBIC (unknown here). That loss of funding would affect MBIC operations but is unlikely to be a significant direct state general‑revenue impact if fees are pass‑through assessments.

Potential legal issues could arise (e.g., preemption, interpretation of existing statutory obligations, or disputes over state vs. federal labeling authority), depending on subsequent federal action and court interpretations.

Procedural status and timeline

Prefiled (House) — introduced Dec 20, 2024.

Read first time March 12, 2025; referred to Public Education (per supplied actions).

The bill text would become law only if enacted by the Missouri General Assembly and signed (or otherwise enacted) in accordance with state legislative procedures.

If you want, I can:
- Look up the current estimated annual assessment revenue remitted under sections 275.300–275.370 to show likely fiscal scale; or
- Draft a short one‑page explainer for producers and processors about immediate operational effects if the bill becomes law.

Bill