Safety And Fraud Enforcement for Seafood Act

Bill: 112-hr-6200
Sponsor: Rep. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA-7]
Introduced: 2012-07-25 in the House
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Administrative remedies
Aquaculture
Civil actions and liability
Congressional oversight
Consumer affairs
Customs enforcement
Department of Commerce
Department of Health and Human Services
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Food industry and services
Food supply, safety, and labeling
Fraud offenses and financial crimes
Government information and archives
Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
Higher education
Intergovernmental relations
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Marketing and advertising
Public participation and lobbying
Research administration and funding
Retail and wholesale trades
Seafood
State and local government operations
Trade restrictions
Veterinary medicine and animal diseases

Summary:
action_date: 2012-07-25
text: 
Safety And Fraud Enforcement for Seafood Act - Requires the Secretaries of Commerce and Health and Human Services (HHS) to execute a memorandum of understanding to improve interagency cooperation on seafood safety, building upon any prior agreement, including those under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
 
Includes in such a memorandum processes concerning efficient use of inspection personnel, intergovernmental cooperation, use of data, monitoring of substances used in fish farming, and prescreening of imported seafood by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). 
Establishes the following coordination requirements: (1) development of a process to expedite the importation of seafood from foreign countries and exporters that consistently adhere to the highest standards for seafood safety, (2) use of the national sea grant college program for outreach activities, and (3) collection of information to prevent seafood fraud. Defines &quot;seafood fraud&quot; as the mislabeling or misrepresentation of seafood in violation of this Act or other applicable federal laws and regulations. 
Provides standards for refusal of admission of imported seafood based upon findings of failure to meet controls of existing fishery product regulations, the use of treatments or feed containing substances not approved for use by U.S. aquaculturists, or a level of any substance above the maximum deemed safe for consumption by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 
Provides procedures for import certifications and allowance of individual shipments in certain cases. 
Includes, in fishery management plan data required to be submitted in the course of fish processing, information that accompanies seafood (including by labeling) through final sale concerning market and species names, production method, catch or aquaculture area, and weight, number, or product transformation. Requires a public website to list exporters of seafood to the United States and track violations. 
Requires the Secretary of Commerce to increase the number of shipments inspected for seafood fraud, prevent the percentage of seafood shipments inspected from declining in a subsequent year, and ensure that inspections for fraud prevention also collect seafood safety information. 
Allows civil actions by states for seafood fraud violations. 
Requires the Secretaries to report to Congress biennially on seafood safety and seafood fraud prevention measures.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-08-13
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry.
action_date: 2012-07-31
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular Affairs.
action_date: 2012-07-27
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2012-07-25
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, Ways and Means, and Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2012-07-25
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, Ways and Means, and Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2012-07-25
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, Ways and Means, and Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2012-07-25
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, Ways and Means, and Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2012-07-25
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E1327-1328)
action_date: 2012-07-25
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2012-07-25
text: Introduced in House