HB 324 — An Act amending the act of April 6, 1956 (1955 P.L.1429, No.466), referred to as the Poultry Technician Licensure Law, further providing for collection of samples, for technician requirements, for licensure, for powers and duties of Secretary of Agriculture and for blood sample restrictions.

PRINTER'S NO.   272

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 324
                                               Session of
                                                 2025

     INTRODUCED BY CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, STEELE, PASHINSKI, KENYATTA, HILL-
        EVANS, SANCHEZ, PROBST AND GIRAL, JANUARY 27, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS,
        JANUARY 27, 2025


                                    AN ACT
 1   Amending the act of April 6, 1956 (1955 P.L.1429, No.466),
 2      entitled "An act providing for and regulating the licensing
 3      of poultry technicians by the Secretary of Agriculture for
 4      the drawing of blood from poultry to be used in pullorum
 5      testing programs," further providing for collection of
 6      samples, for technician requirements, for licensure, for
 7      powers and duties of Secretary of Agriculture and for blood
 8      sample restrictions.
 9      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
10   hereby enacts as follows:
11      Section 1.    Sections 1, 2, 4, 6 and 8 of the act of April 6,
12   1956 (1955 P.L.1429, No.466), referred to as the Poultry
13   Technician Licensure Law, are amended to read:
14      Section 1.    The Secretary of Agriculture, when he determines
15   that there is a need for trained technicians to aid in [drawing
16   blood from poultry to be used in pullorum testing programs, may
17   license as many trained technicians as he deems necessary to aid
18   the programs.] the collection of regulatory samples from poultry
19   and eggs and conduct on-site surveillance for dangerous
20   transmissible diseases of poultry, may license as many certified
 1   poultry technicians as he deems necessary to carry out specified
 2   regulatory sampling and testing procedures. The Secretary of
 3   Agriculture may establish the licensing and certification
 4   standards, and the regulatory sampling and testing procedures,
 5   and may provide for training in Spanish, through the issuance of
 6   a general quarantine order under the authority of 3 Pa.C.S. §
 7   2329 (relating to quarantine).
 8      Section 2.   Every applicant for licensure as a poultry
 9   technician shall furnish evidence that [he is] the applicant is
10   at least eighteen years of age, [a citizen of the United States,
11   or has legally declared his intention to become such, is of good
12   moral character, has completed at least eight years of education
13   in a public, parochial or private school, or its equivalent, as
14   evaluated by the Department of Public Instruction, and has] can
15   legally work in the United States in accordance with Federal and
16   State law and has satisfactorily completed a course of training
17   [in poultry blood-testing] as a certified poultry technician as
18   prescribed by the Department of Agriculture.
19      Section 4.   No application for licensure as a poultry
20   technician shall be considered unless accompanied by a fee of
21   [five dollars ($5)] ten dollars ($10). Such licenses when issued
22   shall be in force, unless revoked for cause, until January first
23   of each year, at which time they may be renewed upon payment of
24   the [five dollars ($5)] ten dollars ($10) fee if renewal
25   application is approved by the Department of Agriculture.
26      Appeals from any action of the Secretary of Agriculture,
27   which results in a refusal to issue or renew, or in a suspension
28   or revocation of a license, shall be taken in accordance with
29   the provisions of [the act of June four, one thousand nine
30   hundred forty-five (Pamphlet Laws 1388), known as the

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 1   "Administrative Agency Law."] 2 Pa.C.S. Ch. 7 Subch. A (relating
 2   to judicial review of Commonwealth agency action).
 3      Section 6.    The Secretary of Agriculture may (1) adopt and
 4   promulgate rules, quarantine orders and regulations governing
 5   the activities, methods and functions of all technicians
 6   licensed under the provisions of this act, and (2) suspend or
 7   revoke the license of any licensee who is (i) incompetent, (ii)
 8   fails to comply with the provisions of this act, quarantine
 9   orders or any rule or regulation of the secretary, or (iii) is
10   intemperate in the use of stimulants, narcotics or any other
11   substance which impairs the performance of his duties.
12      [Section 8.   A person licensed under the provisions of this
13   act engaged to draw blood samples from poultry to be used in
14   pullorum testing shall not be an employe of the owner of the
15   poultry.]
16      Section 2.    This act shall take effect immediately.




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