Beef Research and Information Act

Beef Research and Information Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to issue orders: (1) providing for the establishment and administration of plans for advertising, sales promotion, and consumer information with respect to the use of cattle, beef, or beef products and for the disbursement of necessary funds for such purposes; provided that no such advertising, consumer education, or sales promotion programs shall make use of false or misleading claims in behalf of cattle, beef, or beef products, or false or misleading statements with respect to quality, value, or use of any competing product; (2) providing for research and studies with respect to sale, distribution, marketing, utilization, or production of cattle, beef, of beef products, and the creation of new products thereof, to the end that the marketing and utilization of cattle, beef, or beef products may be encourage, expanded, improved, or made more acceptable, and the data collected by such activities may be disseminated and for the disbursement of necessary funds for such purposes; and (3) providing that slaughterers maintain and make available for inspection such books and records as may be required by any order issued pursuant to this Act.

Provides for the establishment of a Beef Board, to be composed of not more than 68 cattle producers or representatives of cattle producers appointed by the Secretary. Sets forth the duties and responsibilities of the Beef Board, including: (1) the administration of the orders of the Secretary in accordance with its terms and provisions; and (2) the issuance of rules and regulations to effectuate the terms and provisions of such orders.

Requires the Board to appoint an executive committee.

Provides that the Beef Board shall, subject to the provisions of this Act, submit to the Secretary for his approval budgets on a fiscal period basis of its anticipated expenses and disbursements in the administration of the order.

Requires the Board to submit copies of such budgets to the House Committee on Agriculture and the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry.

Provides that cattle slaughtered for his own home consumption by a producer who has been the sole owner of such cattle shall not be subject to assessments provided in this Act. Limits the transaction assessment, under this Act, to one-half of one percent.

Requires the Secretary to conduct a referendum among cattle producers who have been engaged in the production of cattle for the purpose of ascertaining whether the issuance of an order is approved or favored by such producers. Requires the Secretary to establish a procedure whereby all producers are notified of the referendum. Provides that no order issued pursuant to this Act shall be effective unless the Secretary determines that votes were cast by at least 50 percent of the registered producers, and that the issuance of such order is approved or favored by not less than two-thirds of the producers voting in such referendum.

Provides that eligible voter lists and ballots cast in the referendum shall be retained by the Secretary for a period of not less than 12 months after they are cast for audit and recount in the event the results of the referendum are challenged and the Secretary or the courts determine a recount is appropriate.

Authorizes appropriations of such funds as are necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act.