I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6212 
To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to ensure the safety 
of imported seafood. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 25, 2018 
Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to 
ensure the safety of imported seafood. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Imported Seafood 
Safety Standards Act’’. 
SEC. 2. ENSURING THE SAFETY OF IMPORTED SEAFOOD. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter VIII of the Federal 
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 381 et seq.) 
is amended by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘SEC. 810. SAFETY OF IMPORTED SEAFOOD. 
‘‘(a) REQUIREMENT OF EQUIVALENCE.— 
‘‘(1) STANDARDS FOR EXPORTING COUNTRY.— 
No seafood may be imported into the United States 
from a foreign country unless the Secretary certifies 
that the seafood imported from such country is 
maintained through a program using reliable analyt-
ical methods to ensure compliance with the United 
States standards for seafood manufacturing, proc-
essing, and holding. 
‘‘(2) INSPECTION OF EXPORTING FACILITIES.— 
In accordance with the procedures described under 
section 704, officers and employees duly designated 
by the Secretary shall conduct not less than 1 in-
spection on an annual basis of each foreign facility 
that exports seafood to the United States to ensure 
that each such foreign facility maintains a program 
using reliable analytical methods to ensure compli-
ance with the United States standards for seafood 
manufacturing, processing, and holding. In addition 
to such annual inspection, such officers and employ-
ees shall conduct periodic follow-up inspections of 
such foreign facilities as determined necessary by 
the Secretary. 
‘‘(b) MANDATORY TESTING.— 
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‘‘(1) MINIMUM TESTING.—The Secretary shall 
inspect and test not less than 20 percent of all sea-
food imported or offered for import into the United 
States each year. 
‘‘(2) NEW EXPORTERS.—Notwithstanding any 
other provision of this Act, the first 15 shipments of 
seafood imported or offered for import into the 
United States from an exporter shall be inspected 
and tested by the Secretary. 
‘‘(3) FAILURE TO PASS INSPECTION.— 
‘‘(A) ONE FAILURE.—If a shipment of sea-
food imported or offered for import into the 
United States by an exporter fails to meet an 
inspection or test requirement under this Act, 
each subsequent shipment of seafood from such 
exporter shall be inspected and tested by the 
Secretary, until 15 consecutive shipments by 
such exporter pass that inspection and testing. 
‘‘(B) MULTIPLE FAILURES.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—If more than 3 
shipments of seafood imported or offered 
for import into the United States by an ex-
porter fail to meet inspection or test re-
quirements under this Act during any 1- 
year period, no shipments from such ex-
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