jiayi-li23/proxann_data huggingface dataset:
Topic: Agriculture — Food Inspection & Safety
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-11-18 00:00:00

Food Labeling Modernization Act of 2015

This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) to require the front of food packages to bear a nutrition label that complies with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations. The bill specifies principles for such regulations, including that there should be a standard, easily understood symbol system for calorie and nutrient information.

Only under specified conditions may the front of a food package include: (1) descriptions of whole grain content, (2) the term "wheat" or "whole wheat," or (3) a reference to a characterizing ingredient.

If a food contains added coloring, non-caloric sweetener, or flavoring, that fact must be stated on the front of the package.

The FDA must regulate food labels that make claims about the mechanism by which a nutrient affects the body. Food manufacturers must substantiate health claims on a label upon request from the FDA. Labeling regarding trans fat and cholesterol is restricted. The FDA must establish a level of added sugars above which a food is disqualified from making health claims on the label.

Regarding food labels, the FDA must: (1) regulate use of "natural," (2) prohibit use of "healthy" on certain foods, and (3) establish formatting requirements for ingredient lists.

Food labels must include the percent of recommended daily calories and daily added sugars per serving. Labels must disclose the amount of added sugars in teaspoons and grams.

Foods containing caffeine must be labeled with the amount.

Sesame is added to the list of major food allergens.

The names of major food allergens in nonpackaged food offered for sale at retail must be on a sign adjacent to the food.

Food manufacturers and importers must submit to the FDA for publication the information to be included on a food's label and keep this information updated.

"Artificial" and "synthetic" are defined for purposes of the FFDCA.
Topic: Agriculture — Food Inspection & Safety
Subject: Agriculture and food
Date: 2015-12-09 00:00:00

Christmas Tree Tax Exemption Act 

This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to permit "choose and cut" Christmas tree producers to opt out of USDA's Christmas Tree Promotion, Research, and Information Order with respect to trees sold directly to final consumers.

(The order was authorized by the Commodity Promotion, Research, and Information Act of 1996 and includes an assessment on Christmas tree producers to fund a promotion, research, and information program for fresh cut Christmas trees.)
Topic: Agriculture — Food Inspection & Safety
Subject: Health
Date: 2016-05-19 00:00:00

Food Date Labeling Act of 2016

This bill establishes requirements that: (1) address food waste that occurs when people throw out fresh food because of their confusion over the meaning of expiration dates on food labels and whether or not the food is still safe to eat, and (2) standardize quality date and safety date food labels. Producers, manufacturers, distributors, or retailers that place a date label on food packaging of a product (food labelers) must use the phrases "best if used by" to indicate food quality and the phrase "expires on" to warn of food that may be unsafe to eat after a specified date.

While labelers may voluntarily choose to include a quality date on packaging, they must include a safety date on ready-to-eat products.

The Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) must establish guidance for food labelers on how to determine quality dates and safety dates for food products.

No one may prohibit the sale, donation, or use of a product after the quality date for the product has passed.

USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services must educate consumers on the meaning of quality date and safety date food labels.
Topic: Agriculture — Food Inspection & Safety
Subject: Health
Date: 2016-09-22 00:00:00

Fruit Labeling Accuracy Act of 2016

This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to prohibit the Food and Drug Administration from requiring the percent daily value of added sugars to appear on the label of dried fruit or vegetables that are naturally low in sugar or juice beverages made from fruit or vegetables that are naturally low in sugar.
Topic: Agriculture — Food Inspection & Safety
Subject: Health
Date: 2016-09-28 00:00:00

Ban Poisonous Additives Act of 2016

This bill bans food containers composed, in whole or in part, of bisphenol A (BPA).

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may grant waivers to a facility for a particular product if the facility: (1) demonstrates that it is not technologically feasible to replace BPA in the container or to use a BPA-free container, and (2) submits to the FDA a plan and time line for removing BPA from the container. Products granted a waiver must include a warning on the label.

The FDA must promote and facilitate the use of BPA replacements. BPA may not be replaced with substances that: (1) are known or likely human carcinogens; (2) have been found by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to be persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic; (3) cause reproductive or developmental toxicity; or (4) are endocrine disrupting chemicals.

The FDA must review substances that may be found in food, including food additives and food contact substances, and take remedial action if it does not determine that there is a reasonable certainty that no harm will result from aggregate exposure, taking into consideration potential adverse effects from low-dose exposure and the effects on vulnerable populations and populations with high exposure.

This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the manufacturer or supplier of a food contact substance to notify the FDA of the identity and intended use of the substance prior to its introduction into interstate commerce and that: (1) no adverse health effects result from low-dose exposures to the substance, and (2) the substance has not been shown to cause reproductive or developmental toxicity in humans or animals.
Topic: Agriculture — Food Inspection & Safety
Subject: Agriculture and food
Date: 2015-01-20 00:00:00

Imported Seafood Safety Standards Act

Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to prohibit the importation of any seafood from a foreign country unless the country complies with U.S. standards for seafood manufacturing, processing, and holding. Requires an annual inspection of each foreign facility that exports seafood to the United States to ensure compliance with U.S. standards. Requires periodic follow-up inspections of foreign facilities as determined necessary by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Requires the FDA to inspect and test not less than 20% of all imported seafood each year and the first 15 shipments of seafood imported from a new exporter. Sets forth procedures in the event an exporter fails to meet inspection or test requirements.

Directs the FDA to refuse entry of all seafood shipments from a country that repeatedly fails to meet inspection or testing requirements and establish exporter fees as necessary.

Requires the detention or destruction of imported seafood that fails to meet safety standards unless the shipment meets criteria for re-export.

Allows importation of seafood at only those U.S. ports of entry that have the personnel trained to conduct the applicable testing and inspections.

Prohibits making a knowingly false statement with respect to a test or inspection under this Act or knowingly misbranding any seafood imported under this Act. Establishes a civil penalty for violations.

Authorizes the FDA to establish a program under which a state may conduct inspection, testing, and certification of U.S. seafood imports.
Topic: Agriculture — Food Inspection & Safety
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-02-12 00:00:00

This bill prohibits the use of federal funds to finalize, implement, or enforce the proposed rule entitled "Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption" published by the Department of Health and Human Services on January 16, 2013, or any successor or substantially similar rule.
Topic: Agriculture — Food Inspection & Safety
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-03-19 00:00:00

BPA in Food Packaging Right to Know Act

Requires the Department of Health and Human Services to: (1) issue a revised safety assessment for food containers composed in whole or in part of bisphenol A (BPA), taking into consideration different types and uses of such containers; and (2) determine whether there is reasonable certainty that no harm will result from aggregate exposure to BPA through food containers or other items composed in whole or in part of BPA, taking into consideration potential adverse effects from low-dose exposure and the effects of exposure on vulnerable populations, including pregnant women, infants, children, the elderly, and populations with high exposure to BPA.

Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to prohibit the sale of a food if its container is composed in whole or in part of BPA unless the label includes the following statement: "This food packaging contains BPA, an endocrine-disrupting chemical, according to the National Institutes of Health."
Topic: Agriculture — Food Inspection & Safety
Subject: Agriculture and food
Date: 2015-05-06 00:00:00

John Rainey Memorial Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act

Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to deem equine (horses and other members of the equidae family) parts to be an unsafe food additive or animal drug.

 Prohibits the knowing sale or transport of equines or equine parts in interstate or foreign commerce for purposes of human consumption.
Topic: Agriculture — Food Inspection & Safety
Subject: Agriculture and food
Date: 2015-05-13 00:00:00

Meat and Poultry Recall Notification Act of 2015 

This bill amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products Inspection Act, the Egg Products Inspection Act, and the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to authorize the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to issue a mandatory recall of contaminated meat, poultry, and egg products. Under current law, recalls are voluntary actions taken by food companies.

The bill modifies the definition of "adulterated" used for recalls to include a food product that bears or contains a pathogen or contaminant associated with serious illness or death.

If USDA determines that food violates a food safety law and there is a reasonable probability that the food, if consumed, would present a threat to public health, USDA must: (1) notify consumers and public health officials, and (2) provide the company with an opportunity to take voluntary actions.

If the company refuses to carry out voluntary actions within the time period and in the manner prescribed by USDA, USDA is authorized to control and possess the food, recall the food, and take other mandatory actions necessary to prevent its distribution.

In the case of a recall, USDA must provide affected retailers with a notice containing the product information of each product subject to the recall, and the retailers must post the notice or notify consumers using a customer card system.

The bill establishes procedures, including civil and criminal penalties, to enforce this bill and other food safety laws.
Topic: Agriculture — Food Inspection & Safety
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-10-29 00:00:00

Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act of 2015

This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise the nutritional information that restaurants and retail food establishments must disclose. The nutrient content disclosure statement on the menu or menu board must include: (1) the number of calories contained in the whole menu item; (2) the number of servings and number of calories per serving; or (3) the number of calories per common unit of the item, such as for a multi-serving item that is typically divided before presentation to the consumer. Nutritional information may be provided solely by a remote-access menu (e.g., an Internet menu) for food establishments where the majority of orders are placed by customers who are off-premises.

Establishments with self-serve food may comply with the requirements for restaurants or place signs with nutritional information adjacent to each food item.

An establishment’s nutrient content disclosures have a “reasonable basis” if they are within acceptable allowances for variation, including variations in serving size or ingredients and inadvertent human error in formulation.

Establishments with standard menu items that come in different flavors, varieties, or combinations, that are listed as a single menu item can determine and disclose nutritional information using specified methods or methods allowed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Regulations pursuant to this Act or the clause amended by this Act cannot take effect earlier than two years after final regulations are promulgated pursuant to this Act.

The FDA may not exempt states from nutrition labeling requirements.
Topic: Agriculture — Food Inspection & Safety
Subject: Agriculture and food
Date: 2016-03-01 00:00:00

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)

(Sec. 1) This bill amends the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to require the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish a national voluntary bioengineered food labeling standard.

The standard applies to food that either contains or was developed or produced using genetic material that: (1) has been modified through in vitro recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) techniques, and (2) could not otherwise be obtained through conventional breeding or found in nature. (Recombinant DNA is DNA that has been altered by joining genetic material from two or more different organisms.)

USDA regulations implementing this bill must:

 prohibit claims regarding the safety or quality of food based on whether or not the food is bioengineered, determine the amounts of a bioengineered substance that may be present for a food to be labeled as bioengineered, and establish a process for requesting and granting determinations regarding other factors and conditions under which a food may be labeled as bioengineered. USDA must provide science-based information through education, outreach, and promotion to address consumer acceptance of agricultural biotechnology.

USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services must report to Congress regarding the availability of information for determining whether food is bioengineered or bioengineering was used in the development or production process.

The labeling standard established by this bill preempts state and local laws regarding the labeling of bioengineered or genetically engineered food or seeds.
Topic: Agriculture — Food Inspection & Safety
Subject: Health
Date: 2016-03-02 00:00:00

Biotechnology Food Labeling Uniformity Act

This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require food that contains an ingredient from a genetically modified organism (GMO) to be labeled as genetically engineered.

A food is exempt from this requirement if GMO ingredients account for less than 0.9% of the food's weight. A food is not subject to this requirement solely because: (1) a genetically engineered vaccine was used at any point in the production of the food, or (2) it was produced using a processing aid or enzyme that was produced from a GMO.

The labeling requirements of this bill preempt state and local labeling requirements.
Topic: Agriculture — Food Inspection & Safety
Subject: Agriculture and food
Date: 2016-03-08 00:00:00

Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption Act or the PRIME Act 

This bill amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act to expand the exemption of custom slaughtering of animals from federal inspection requirements.

Under current law, the exemption applies if the meat is slaughtered for personal, household, guest, and employee uses. The bill expands the exemption to include meat that is:

 slaughtered and prepared at a custom slaughter facility in accordance with the laws of the state where the facility is located; and prepared exclusively for distribution to household consumers in the state and restaurants, hotels, boarding houses, grocery stores, or other establishments in the state that either prepare meals served directly to consumers or sell meat and food products directly to consumers in the state. The bill does not preempt any state law concerning the slaughter of animals or the preparation of carcasses, parts thereof, meat and meat food products at a custom slaughter facility, or the sale of meat or meat food products.
Topic: Agriculture — Food Inspection & Safety
Subject: Health
Date: 2016-05-18 00:00:00

Food Date Labeling Act of 2016

This bill establishes requirements that: (1) address food waste that occurs when people throw out fresh food because of their confusion over the meaning of expiration dates on food labels and whether or not the food is still safe to eat, and (2) standardize quality date and safety date food labels. Producers, manufacturers, distributors, or retailers that place a date label on food packaging of a product (food labelers) must use the phrases "best if used by" to indicate food quality and the phrase "expires on" to warn of food that may be unsafe to eat after a specified date.

While labelers may voluntarily choose to include a quality date on packaging, they must include a safety date on ready-to-eat products.

The Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) must establish guidance for food labelers on how to determine quality dates and safety dates for food products.

No one may prohibit the sale, donation, or use of a product after the quality date for the product has passed.

USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services must educate consumers on the meaning of quality date and safety date food labels.
Topic: Foreign Trade — Tariff & Imports
Subject: International affairs
Date: 2007-01-04 00:00:00

Cuba Reconciliation Act - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (including other specified laws) to repeal the embargo placed upon all trade with Cuba.Amends the Internal Revenue Code to declare the denial of foreign tax credit inapplicable to Cuba.Permits: (1) installation and maintenance of telecommunications equipment and facilities in Cuba, including telecommunications services between the United States and Cuba; and (2) travel to and from Cuba by U.S. citizens or residents.Requires the U.S. Postal Service to provide direct mail service to and from Cuba.
Topic: Foreign Trade — Tariff & Imports
Subject: Foreign trade and international finance
Date: 2007-01-10 00:00:00

Unfair Chinese Automotive Tariff Equalization Act - Prohibits the importation into the United States of any motor vehicle that is the product of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Extends such prohibition until the President certifies in writing to Congress that the tariff rates imposed by the PRC on motor vehicles that are U.S. products are equal to the rates of duty applicable to similar motor vehicles that are PRC products.
Topic: Foreign Trade — Tariff & Imports
Subject: Foreign trade and international finance
Date: 2007-01-12 00:00:00

Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to suspend temporarily the duty on certain plasma flat panel displays.
Topic: Foreign Trade — Tariff & Imports
Subject: Foreign trade and international finance
Date: 2007-01-18 00:00:00

Requires additional tariffs to be imposed on products of any nonmarket economy country (Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Cambodia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Moldova, the People's Republic of China, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and, to the extent that any of their products enter U.S. customs territory, Cuba and North Korea), as well as any other country determined to be a nonmarket economy country until the President certifies to Congress that such country is a market economy country (operating on market principles of cost and pricing structures so that sales of merchandise in such country reflect their fair value). Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to deposit the amounts generated from such additional tariffs into the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund created by the Social Security Act. States that, for purposes of this Act, the People's Republic of China shall not be construed to include Taiwan or any island over which Taiwan exercises jurisdiction.
Topic: Foreign Trade — Tariff & Imports
Subject: International affairs
Date: 2007-01-22 00:00:00

Free Trade With Cuba Act - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to repeal the embargo on trade with Cuba. Prohibits the exercise by the President with respect to Cuba of certain authorities conferred by the Trading With the Enemy Act and exercised on July 1, 1977, as a result of a specified national emergency. Declares that any prohibition on exports to Cuba under the Export Administration Act of 1979 shall cease to be effective. Authorizes the President to impose export controls with respect to Cuba and exercise certain authorities under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act only on account of an unusual and extraordinary threat to U.S. national security that did not exist before enactment of this Act. Repeals: (1) the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992; (2) the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996; (3) the prohibition under the Food Security Act of 1985 against allocation of the annual sugar quota to any country unless its officials verify that it does not import for reexport to the United States any sugar produced in Cuba; and (4) the prohibition under the Department of Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 on transactions or payments respecting certain U.S. intellectual property. Amends the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism subject to agricultural and medical export restrictions. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to terminate the denial of foreign tax credit with respect to Cuba. Authorizes common carriers to install and repair telecommunications equipment and facilities in Cuba, and otherwise provide telecommunications services between the United States and Cuba. Prohibits regulation or banning of travel to and from Cuba by U.S. citizens or residents, or of any transactions incident to travel. Directs the U.S. Postal Service to provide direct mail service to and from Cuba. Urges the President to take all necessary steps to conduct negotiations with the Government of Cuba to: (1) settle claims of U.S. nationals against Cuba for the taking of property; and (2) secure protection of internationally recognized human rights.