House & Senate
The Foot and Mouth Disease Prevention Act of 2009 (H.R.1226 and S.337)
This bill was introduced by Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin and Tim Johnson. It bans imports of agricultural products and animals from Argentina until that country is free of foot and mouth disease. It's currently in the Ag committee in both houses.
The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act of 2009 (H.R.1378 and S.456)
Introduced by Rep. Nita Lowey and Sen. Chris Dodd. It calls for schools to voluntarily plan for handling allergies and anaphylaxis. It has 19 cosponsors in the House and 8 in the Senate. It's currently in both the Energy & Commerce and Education & Labor committees in the House and the HELP (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions) committee in the Senate.
The Biogas Production Incentive Act of 2009 (H.R.907, H.R.1158, S.306)
These bills were introduced (respectively) by Lee Terry, Brian Higgins, and Ben Nelson (D-NE). In the House they went to the Ways & Means committee, and in the Senate to the Finance committee. The bill gives a tax credit for biogas production. H.R.907 has 1 cosponsor, H.R.1158 has 13 cosponsors, and S.306 has 8 cosponsors.
House Only
The Safe FEAST Act of 2009 (H.R.1332)
This is a food safety bill introduced by Jim Costa. It's currently in both the Energy & Commerce Committee and the Ag Committee. It has 26 cosponsors.
The Ban Poisonous Additives Act of 2009 (H.R.1523)
This bill, introduced by Rep. Edward Markey, bans BPA in food containers. It has no co-sponsors and it's currently in the Energy & Commerce Committee.
The Anti-hunger Empowerment Act of 2009 (H.R.176)
This bill was introduced by Jose Serrano and it has 14 cosponsors. It is currently in the House Ag Committee. The bill's purpose is:
To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to provide greater access to the supplemental nutrition assistance program by reducing duplicative and burdensome administrative requirements, authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to award grants to certain community-based nonprofit feeding and anti-hunger groups for the purpose of establishing and implementing a Beyond the Soup Kitchen Pilot Program for certain socially and economically disadvantaged populations, and for other purposes.
The Sewage Sludge in Food Production Consumer Notification Act (H.R.185)
This bill, also by Jose Serrano, says that consumers should be notified when their food is grown with sewage sludge. It has no cosponsors and it is currently in both the Energy & Commerce and the Ag committees.
The Food Assistance to Improve Reintegration Act of 2009 (H.R.329)
This bill by Barbara Lee repeals a law denying food stamps to ex-offenders. It's currently in the House Ag Committee and it has 2 cosponsors.
The America's Right-to-Eat Rescue Act of 2009 (H.R.501)
This bill by Joe Baca increases the poverty line used to determine food aid be increased for a period of six months. The bill has no cosponsors and it is in both the Education & Labor and Agriculture committees in the House.
The Summer Food Service Rural Expansion Act (H.R.540)
This bill by Rep. Platts makes permanent summer food service pilot projects in rural PA and extends them to other rural parts of the state. Predictably, Platts is from PA. The bill is in the Education & Labor Committee and it has no cosponsors.
The Economic Recovery Through Increased Feeding Act of 2009 (H.R.596)
This bill was introduced by Rep. Anthony Weiner. The bill expands eligibility for food stamps and promotes food stamp use at farmers' markets. It is currently in the Ag committee with no cosponsors.
The Food and Drug Administration Globalization Act of 2009 (H.R.759)
This bill by John Dingell makes several changes to our food safety system - some good, some bad. While food safety changes are needed, I think this bill will punish a lot of people who aren't part of the problem and therefore I don't support it. The bill has 8 cosponsors and it's in the House Energy & Commerce committee.
The Farming Flexibility Act of 2009 (H.R.800)
This bill by Tammy Baldwin makes me proud that I canvassed and voted for her! The bill will allow farmers who currently grow federally subsidized commodities to grow other stuff on that land. (Yes, believe it or not, that's currently illegal.) The bill has 12 co-sponsors and it's currently in the ag committee. Historically, bills like this get bipartisan support from the midwest. Her current cosponsors are: John Boehner (OH), Dan Burton (IN), John Dingell (MI), Joe Donnelly (IN), Brad Ellsworth (IN), Ron Kind (WI), Robert Latta (OH), Sue Myrick (NC), Mike Pence (IN), Thomas Petri (WI), Mark Souder (IN), and Timothy Walz (MN). She might also expect support from Carson (D-IN), Conyers (D-MI), Hare (D-IL), Hill (D-IN), Kaptur (D-OH), Visclosky (D-IN), Buyer (R-IN), Pitts (R-PA), Ryan (R-WI), and Upton (R-MI). (Those in bold are on the House Ag Committee.) That makes 12 current co-sponsors, plus Baldwin, plus 10 others who have supported a similar bill in the past, for 23 total and only 3 on the House Ag committee.
The Commonsense Consumption Act of 2009 (H.R.812)
This is a bill by Dan Boren to prevent consumers from suing food manufacturers for making them fat. Because that's what we need right now with the country in 2 wars and the economy in the tank. Right. He's got 7 cosponsors and it's been referred to the Judiciary committee.
The TRACE Act of 2009 (H.R.814)
This bill by Rep. DeGette sucks. It would basically implement the National Animal ID System. It has 5 cosponsors and it's been referred to the Ag and Energy & Commerce committees.
The Safe And Fair Enforcement and Recall for Meat, Poultry, and Food Act of 2009 (H.R.815)
This bill, also by Diana DeGette, calls for increased food safety. It has 11 cosponsors and it's in the Ag and Energy & Commerce committees.
The Protect Consumers Act of 2009 (H.R.841)
This bill by Betty Sutton looks great to me. It simply allows the FDA to call a mandatory recall and nothing else. Surely this isn't the totality of the food safety fixes we need, but finally we've got a nice, simple bill that gives us something we need without giving us a lot of other things we DON'T need too. Sadly, there are no cosponsors here.
The Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009 (H.R.875)
This bill by Rosa DeLauro establishes a Food Safety Administration (separate from the FDA) and calls for a number of food safety changes. It has 40 cosponsors and it's in the Energy & Commerce and Agriculture committees. Word on the street is that the bill is going to die in committee.
The Keeping America's Food Safe Act of 2009 (H.R.999)
This bill by Peter Roskam is yet another food safety bill. It has 1 cosponsor and it's in the Energy & Commerce Committee.
Senate Only
The Bonus TEFAP Assistance Act of 2009 (S.194)
This bill by Sen. Casey gives states extra money to pay for their emergency food program. It's in the Ag committee with 2 cosponsors.
The Rural Revitalization Act of 2009 (S.323)
This bill by Sen. Conrad gives rural communities money for infrastructure, nutrition, and housing. It's in the Finance committee with 2 cosponsors.
The Agriculture Competition Enhancement Act of 2009 (S.364)
This bill by Chuck Grassley is totally awesome. It calls for the Justice Dept to review all mergers and acquisitions by agribiz companies. That's something that's badly needed, and judging by the press release I just received with a heading of "Department of Justice Antitrust Nominee Tells Feingold Agriculture will be a Priority" I think we're going to get it with or without a law being passed. So far there's 1 cosponsor and the bill is in the Judiciary Committee.
The Global Food Security Act of 2009 (S.384)
This bill by Dick Lugar is to increase food aid to other countries. It's got 2 cosponsors and it's in the Foreign Relations committee.
The Food Safety and Tracking Improvement Act (S.425)
Introduced by Sherrod Brown. Just another food safety/traceability bill. I would need a lawyer to really help me understand what the bill achieves but on its face, I don't like it. No cosponsors, referred to the Ag committee.
The Ending Agricultural Threats: Safeguarding America's Food for Everyone (EAT SAFE) Act of 2009 (S.429)
Sen. Robert Casey switches it up! His food safety bill covers imported food products. He's got 1 cosponsor and the bill was referred to the ag committee.
S. 460: "A bill to amend the Agriculture Marketing Act of 1946 to foster efficient markets and increase competition and transparency among packers that purchase livestock from producers."
This one's by Chuck Grassley. 1 cosponsor, referred to ag committee. Here's the summary:
Amends the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to require that 25% of a covered packer's daily kill comes through spot market sales from nonaffiliated producers.
Sets forth a different percentage for covered packers who reported in the 2008 annual report that more than 75% of their livestock were captive supply livestock.
I can't tell if Grassley is doing a good thing here, or if he is proposing a weak rule to prevent Congress from passing a stronger rule. My hunch is that he's on the good side here, because he's historically been for the so-called packer ban, which deals with the same issue.
S. 510: "A bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with respect to the safety of the food supply."
This is a food safety bill by Dick Durbin. He's got 8 cosponsors and the bill's in the HELP committee (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions).
S. 552: "A bill to amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to encourage owners and operators of privately held farm, ranch, and forest land to voluntarily make their land available for access by the public for maple-tapping activities under programs administered by States and tribal governments."
Introduced by Chuck Schumer, referred to the Ag Committee. 1 cosponsor.
S. 593: "A bill to ban the use of bisphenol A in food containers, and for other purposes."
Introduced by Feinstein, referred to HELP, 1 cosponsor. Great bill.
The Imported Seafood Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 (S.92)
Introduced by David Vitter. No cosponsors. Referred to the HELP committee. Very brief bill saying that the FDA can reject shipments of seafood from other countries if it decides it's not safe or not up to our standards. Does that imply that the FDA doesn't do that already?? |
