zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Country of Origin Labeling Act of 2007 - Amends the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to change the country of origin labeling implementation date from September 30, 2008, to September 30, 2007.

Date: 2007-01-26
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Cloned Food Labeling Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the Federal Meat Inspection Act to deem as misbranded a food or meat food product that contains any part of a cloned animal and does not bear a conspicuous label including a notice of that information. Requires individuals to maintain a verifiable recordkeeping audit trail that will permit verification of compliance with this Act. Deems as misbranded a food that bears a label indicating that it does not contain cloned product, unless the label is in accordance with applicable regulations that may not: (1) require such a label to include a statement indicating that the fact that a food does not contain such product has no bearing on the safety of the food for human consumption; and (2) prohibit such a label on the basis that, in the case of the type of food involved, there is no version of the food in commercial distribution that does contain such product. Sets forth civil penalties for violation of this Act. Exempts a person who establishes a guaranty, signed by the person residing in the United States from whom the food was received in good faith, that the food does not contain any cloned product. Allows a person to commence a civil action against a person who is alleged to have violated this Act or the applicable Secretary where a failure of the Secretary to perform any act or duty that is not discretionary is alleged.

Date: 2007-01-26
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Amends the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 to prohibit the labeling of cloned livestock and products derived from cloned livestock as organic. Defines "cloned livestock" as: (1) livestock produced as the result of somatic cell nuclear transfer or other asexual reproduction technologies; and (2) the progeny of such livestock.

Date: 2007-02-08
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Poultry Products Inspection Act to authorize the interstate distribution of state inspected meat and poultry if the Secretary of Agriculture determines that state inspection requirements are at least equal to federal inspection requirements. Provides partial state reimbursement for inspection costs.

Date: 2007-04-18
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Agriculture and food
New Markets for State-Inspected Meat and Poultry Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to review each state's meat and poultry inspection program, which shall include: (1) determination of plan effectiveness; and (2) identification of changes necessary for future transition to a state program as provided for by this Act. Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act to authorize the Secretary to approve a qualifying state meat inspection program and allow the shipment in commerce of carcasses, parts of carcasses, meat, and meat food products so inspected. Requires the Secretary to review approved plans annually. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) enter into a cooperative agreement to establish the relationship between a state program and the Secretary; (2) provide partial reimbursement for state costs to meet federal requirements; and (3) appoint advisory committees. Prohibits from state inspection plan participation establishments that have more than 50 employees, except for those subject to state inspection as of 90 days after the effective date of this Act. Directs the Secretary to temporarily suspend or take over a noncomplying state program (or an establishment). States that: (1) an establishment in a state with an approved state program may apply for either state or federal inspection; and (2) a state or local government shall not prohibit or restrict the movement or sale of meat or meat food products that have been inspected and passed in accordance with this Act for interstate commerce. Exempts from such inspection provisions retail stores and restaurants (including specified central kitchen facilities) if the operations are conducted for sale of such prepared articles in normal retail quantities or for service of the articles to consumers at such establishment. Makes similar amendments to the Poultry Products Inspection Act.

Date: 2007-04-18
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Meat and Poultry Products Traceability and Safety Act of 2007 - Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Poultry Products Inspection Act to direct that amenable species presented for slaughter for human consumption, and the carcasses or parts of carcasses and the meat and food products of those animals, shipped in interstate commerce be identified in a manner that enables the Secretary of Agriculture to trace: (1) each animal or group of animals to any location at which the animal was held at any time before slaughter; and (2) each carcass or part of a carcass and food and food product forward from slaughter through processing and distribution to the ultimate consumer. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) prohibit or restrict entry to a slaughtering establishment of an animal not so identified; and (2) require that each person, firm, or corporation required to identify livestock maintain accurate records. Directs the Secretary to establish a traceability system for all stages of production, processing, and distribution of meat and meat food products and poultry and poultry food products.

Date: 2007-05-03
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Commonsense Consumption Act of 2007 - Prohibits new, and requires dismissal of pending, civil actions by any person against a manufacturer, marketer, distributor, advertiser, or seller of food, or a trade association, for any injury related to a person's accumulated acts of consumption of food and weight gain, obesity, or any associated health condition. Subjects to such prohibition: (1) any action brought by a person other than the person on whose weight gain, obesity, or health condition the action is based; and (2) any derivative action brought by or on behalf of any person or any representative, spouse, parent, child, or other relative of that person. Excludes from this prohibition any actions alleging: (1) a breach of express contract or express warranty provided that the grounds of recovery are unrelated to a person's weight gain, obesity, or related health condition; (2) a knowing violation of a federal or state statute applicable to the marketing, advertisement, or labeling of food with intent for a person to rely on that violation, where such person relied on that violation, and where such reliance was the proximate cause of injury related to that person's weight gain, obesity, or related health condition; or (3) a violation brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) under the Federal Trade Commission Act or by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

Date: 2007-05-07
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Law
Rural America Preservation Act of 2007 - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to reduce maximum annual direct and counter-cyclical commodity payments to $20,000 and $30,000, respectively. Revises limitation provisions for marketing loan gains, loan deficiency payments, and commodity certificate transactions, and establishes an annual combined limitation of $75,000 for such payments. Doubles payment limitations for single farming operations. Limits an individual to a combined annual payment of $250,000. Makes a person who commits fraud in connection with a scheme or device to evade certain program limitations (multiple entities, citizenship) ineligible for farm benefits for six years. Revises provisions respecting limitation of benefits to active farmers. Makes foreign entities ineligible for agricultural program benefits. Expresses the sense of the Senate that any savings achieved by this Act should be used to establish a permanent agricultural disaster relief program.

Date: 2007-05-24
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Imported Food Security Act of 2007 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) assess and collect fees on food imported into the United States; (2) provide for research on the development of tests of imported food and sampling methodologies; (3) give priority to tests that are suitable for inspections of food at U.S. ports of entry; (4) establish goals of developing certain tests for specified pathogens or substances; and (5) establish a certification system for a foreign government or foreign food establishment seeking to import food to the United States. Authorizes the Secretary to withdraw such certification of any food if: (1) such food is linked to an outbreak of human illness; (2) the food safety programs or procedures are no longer equivalent to U.S. programs and procedures; or (3) there is a refusal to allow U.S. officials to conduct audits and investigations as may be necessary. Directs the Secretary to routinely inspect food and food animals before entry into the United States.Authorizes the Secretary to deny importation of food from: (1) any foreign government that does not permit U.S. audits and inspections; and (2) any foreign government or foreign firm that does not consent to an investigation by the Secretary when food from that country or firm is linked to a food-borne illness outbreak or is otherwise found to be adulterated or mislabeled.Provides that any food imported for consumption in the United States may be detained, seized, or condemned.Directs the Secretary to establish a transitional food safety import review program.

Date: 2007-07-12
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Fresh Produce Safety Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) to establish standards for good manufacturing practices for the minimal processing of produce, including standards related to sanitation and water.Requires the Secretary to provide for unannounced inspections of processing facilities to determine if produce processed in the facilities is in compliance with the requirements of this Act.Directs the Secretary to establish general standards for good agricultural practices for the production of raw agricultural commodities, including requirements related to manure, animals, water, and environmental conditions. Gives officers and employees duly designated by the Secretary the authority to inspect appropriate facilities to determine compliance with the standards for good agricultural practices.Directs the Commissioner of Food and Drugs to establish and maintain an active surveillance system to assess the frequency and sources of human illness in the United States associated with the consumption of fresh produce. Directs the Commissioner and the Secretary of Agriculture to design and implement a national public education program on food safety relating to produce.Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct research to assist in the implementation of this Act and the requirements of the FFDCA that relate to produce.Requires the Secretary to establish procedures for equivalency with foreign countries that intend to export raw agricultural commodities and minimally processed produce to the United States.

Date: 2007-09-20
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Food Safety Authority Modernization Act - Establishes the Congressional Bipartisan Food Safety Commission to: (1) review the U.S. food safety system and relevant statutes, studies, and reports; (2) prepare a report that summarizes information about the current system, makes specified recommendations (including on ways to modernize the system, improve coordination of food safety activities, emphasize preventative strategies, and provide to federal agencies funding mechanisms to carry out food safety responsibilities); and (3) draft statutory language that would implement the recommendations. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide the Commission specified funding and support services. Terminates budget authority to implement food and food safety provisions of the Poultry Products Inspection Act, the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Egg Products Inspection Act, and chapters I through IV of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act two years after enactment of this Act.

Date: 2007-10-25
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Commercial Seafood Consumer Protection Act - Directs the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) to establish a program, consistent with U.S. international obligations, to strengthen federal activities for ensuring that commercially distributed seafood meets federal food quality and safety requirements. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Health and Human Services to enter into an agreement to strengthen cooperation on seafood safety, including regarding examining and testing seafood imports, inspections of foreign facilities, technical assistance and training of foreign facilities for marine aquaculture, establishing a distribution chain tracking system, and labeling. Directs the Secretary to increase the number of laboratories certified to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards. Authorizes the Secretary to increase the number and capacity of laboratories operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) involved in testing and other activities under this Act. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) refuse admission of all imports of seafood or seafood products originating from a country or exporter if the shipments do not meet Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) requirements; and (2) order an increase in the percentage of seafood shipments tested that originate from a country that may not meet the federal requirements. Allows admittance of individual shipments from that country or exporter on evidence from an inspection or a certified laboratory. Authorizes the Secretary to send inspectors to an originating country or exporter to assess seafood practices and processes and to provide technical assistance related to FDCA requirements.

Date: 2008-03-04
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Downed Animal Enforcement Act of 2008 - Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act to make it a violation of such Act to: (1) slaughter any nonambulatory livestock, or prepare any carcass or carcass part or meat or meat food product from such animal, for human food use; or (2) fail to comply with the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act of 1958. Establishes the following penalties for violations of such prohibitions: (1) gross income-based civil penalty for a first violation; (2) one-year inspection service suspension for a second violation; and (3) permanent withdrawal of inspection service a third violation. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to promulgate final regulations that provide for public disclosure of a comprehensive list of establishments at which recalled meat or poultry is known to be available for public consumption or sale.

Date: 2008-03-13
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Howard M. Metzenbaum Menu Education and Labeling Act or the MEAL Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to require restaurants that are a part of a chain with 20 or more locations doing business under the same trade name to disclose: (1) in a statement adjacent to each menu item, the number of calories, grams of saturated fat plus trans fat, and milligrams of sodium in a standard food serving; (2) other information designed to enable the public to understand the significance of the nutrition information provided in the context of a total daily diet; (3) that such information shall be provided in writing upon request; and (4) in a statement adjacent to the name of the food on a menu board, the number of calories in a serving of the food. Exempts condiments, items placed on a table or counter for general use, daily specials, temporary menu items, and irregular menu items from these requirements. Requires restaurants that sell self-serve food, such as through salad bars or buffet lines, to place a sign that lists the number of calories per standard serving adjacent to each food offered. Permits retail food establishments to voluntarily provide, and states to require, additional nutritional information. Requires vending machine operators to provide a conspicuous sign disclosing the number of calories in each item of food offered.

Date: 2008-03-13
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Imported Seafood Safety Enhancement Act of 2008 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) issue an order refusing admission into the United States of all imports of seafood or seafood products originating from a country or exporter which the Secretary determines do not meet food safety requirements under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act or which are not likely to meet food safety requirements of any other federal law; and (2) notify all U.S. ports of entry of such refusal within five days. Requires shipments denied admission to be clearly marked "Refused Entry by the United States Government." Requires the importer of such a rejected shipment headed for its country of origin to notify the appropriate authority of such country of the reasons admission was refused before the shipment may be released to the importer. Requires the importer of such a rejected shipment bound for a third party country to notify such country's appropriate authority about such refusal, and requires such authority to notify the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that it accepts such shipment, before the shipment may be released to the importer. Requires the shipment to be destroyed if such authority's notification of acceptance is not made within 45 days after it is notified of the rejection.

Date: 2008-04-24
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Safe School Lunch Act of 2008 - Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Poultry Products Inspection Act to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to order an immediate halt to the distribution of meat, meat food products, poultry, or poultry products upon finding that they may cause a serious, adverse health consequence or be adulterated. Gives persons subject to such an order the opportunity for an informal hearing, within 10 days after the order's issuance, on the actions required by the order and on whether it should be amended to require a recall of the targeted items. Requires the Secretary to order the recall of such items upon affirming that the order should include a recall. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a program providing schools that participate in the school lunch or breakfast programs with training regarding the recall of meat, meat food products, poultry, and poultry products; (2) ensure that information on the Department of Agriculture's website concerning the inspection and recall of such items is current, clear, and accessible by school employees and parents; (3) promulgate regulations ensuring that all of such items inspected by the Secretary can be traced from slaughter to final distribution to schools participating in the school lunch or breakfast programs; and (4) review and evaluate the Department's inspection and recall procedures for such items.

Date: 2008-05-01
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Extends, with specified exceptions, agricultural programs under the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 until May 16, 2008. Suspends permanent price support authorities through May 16, 2008.

Date: 2008-05-01
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, for a cost reporting period beginning on or after July 1, 2005, to provide for payments of direct graduate education costs under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act in accordance with an alternative payment methodology for eligible hospitals in or adjacent to a major disaster area which have established a program to educate residents displaced from a graduate medical education (GME) program impacted by such disaster.

Date: 2008-06-11
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Health
Energy Resource Development Act of 2008 - Revokes the Memorandum on Withdrawal of Certain Areas of the United States Outer Continental Shelf from Leasing Disposition. Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to: (1) authorize the governors of affected states to accept, provide a counterproposal to, or veto the Secretary of the Interior's (Secretary's) proposed lease sales or development and production plans of certain coastal areas; (2) direct the Secretary to conduct an approved lease sale for a new producing area; and (3) direct the Secretary of the Treasury to deposit revenues from the disposition of new producing areas in specified funds. Directs the Secretary to allocate revenues to new producing states and coastal political subdivisions for: (1) coastal protection; (2) mitigation of damage to fish, wildlife, or natural resources; (3) marine, coastal, or comprehensive conservation management plans; (4) mitigation of the impact of outer Continental Shelf activities through the funding of onshore projects; and (5) planning assistance and administrative costs for complying with this Act.Establishes in the Treasury the Energy Independence Trust Fund and provides for expenditures.Requires the Secretary to: (1) make loan guarantees for projects that provide for the construction of new renewable fuel pipelines; and (2) issue a rule directing the Department of Energy Loan Guarantee Program Office to initiate a loan guarantee program for such projects. Directs the President to: (1) promulgate regulations to ensure that covered fuel sold or introduced into U.S. commerce contains specified volumes of clean coal-derived fuel beginning in calendar year 2015; and (2) implement a credit program to manage such requirement. Provides for a waiver to such requirement, exemptions for small refineries, and civil penalties for noncompliance.Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to revise provisions concerning loan guarantees for projects that employ innovative technologies. Designates the fund that consists of revenues from fees collected for such guarantees as the Incentives for Innovative Technologies Fund. Requires the Secretary of Energy to carry out a Nuclear Power 2010 Program to position the United States to commence construction of new nuclear power plants by no later than 2010. Requires the Program to be carried out through cost-sharing with the private sector. Authorizes appropriations.Establishes an interagency working group to make recommendations on coordinating federal actions and programs to promote increasing domestic manufacturing capacity and the exportation of domestic nuclear energy products and services. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish a qualifying nuclear power manufacturing credit and a nuclear power facility construction credit.Requires the Secretary of Labor to implement a program to provide workforce training to meet the demand for workers skilled in the nuclear utility and nuclear energy products and services industries.

Date: 2008-06-12
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Energy
Select Agent Program and Biosafety Improvement Act of 2008 - Amends the Public Health Service Act and the Agricultural Bioterrorism Protection Act of 2002 to reauthorize appropriations for the Select Agent Program, which lists and controls biological agents and toxins that have the potential to pose a severe threat to public health and safety. Requires appropriate training of individuals handling or using such agents and toxins.Includes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) among the federal agencies limited in the disclosure of information related to listed agents or toxins.Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to contract with the National Academy of Sciences to review and make recommendations for improving the Select Agent Program.Sets forth additional factors that the Secretary must consider in determining whether to list an agent or toxin, including whether the agent or toxin is endemic to the United States.Requires the Secretary to issue guidance on inventorying and monitoring listed biological agents.Directs the Attorney General to issue guidance regarding the scope of the statutory definition of "variola virus." Requires the Secretary to: (1) develop guidelines for how laboratories and laboratory personnel that do not regularly test for listed agents and toxins may be rapidly accessed and utilized during emergencies; and (2) evaluate national needs of, and oversight of, high containment biological laboratories.Provides for the development of minimum standards for laboratory biosafety and biosecurity training for relevant personnel of high containment biological laboratories.Requires the Secretary to establish a Biological Laboratory Incident Reporting System.

Date: 2008-06-12
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Health
Safe and Fair Enforcement and Recall for Meat, Poultry and Food Act of 2008 or SAFER Meat, Poultry and Food Act of 2008- Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products Inspection Act, the Egg Products Inspection Act, and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to: (1) require a person, other than a household consumer, who has reason to believe meat, poultry, eggs, or food products to be adulterated or misbranded to so notify the Secretary of Agriculture or the Secretary of Health and Human Services, as appropriate; (2) provide the Secretary of Agriculture with authority for voluntary (by transporters, shippers, distributors, and handlers) and mandatory (upon the failure of voluntary action) nondistribution and recall, withdrawal of inspectors from violating facilities, consumer and health official notification, and imposition of civil penalties; and (3) provide the Secretary of Health and Human Services with authority for voluntary (by transporters, shippers, distributors, and handlers) and mandatory (upon the failure of voluntary action) nondistribution and recall, consumer and health official notification, and imposition of civil penalties.

Date: 2008-07-15
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Improving Food-borne Illness Surveillance and Response Act of 2008 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to strengthen and expand foodborne illness surveillance systems to: (1) inform and evaluate efforts to prevent foodborne illness; and (2) enhance the identification and investigation of, and response to, foodborne illness outbreaks.Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to enhance foodborne illness surveillance systems to improve the collection, analysis, reporting, and usefulness of data on foodborne illnesses.Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director and the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, to improve capacity for surveillance in states, including by: (1) supporting outbreak investigations with needed specialty expertise; (2) supporting model practices in states; and (3) developing training curricula on foodborne illness surveillance investigations.Directs the Secretary to: (1) carry out activities to support core food safety functions of state and local public health laboratories; and (2) establish a working group to advise the Secretary regarding the improvement of foodborne illness surveillance and implementation of this Act.Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary to: (1) leverage and enhance the food safety capacity and roles of state and local agencies; (2) survey state and local capacities and enhancement needs; (3) develop a plan addressing food safety functions at state and local levels; and (4) make grants to state and local agencies to enhance food safety capacity and programs.

Date: 2008-07-29
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Health
Dairy COOL Act of 2008 - Amends the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to include dairy products as a covered commodity. Defines "dairy product" as: (1) fluid milk; (2) cheese, including cottage cheese and cream cheese; (3) yogurt; (4) ice cream; (5) butter; and (6) any other dairy product. Requires the retailer of a covered commodity that is a dairy product to designate such commodity's country of origin as each country in which: (1) one or more of the commodity's components or ingredients were produced, originated, or sourced; and (2) the commodity was processed. Provides that with respect to a covered commodity that is a dairy product produced exclusively in the United States, retailer designation of the U.S. state, region, or locality of the commodity's production shall be sufficient to identify the United States as the country of origin.

Date: 2008-09-29
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Tracing and Recalling Agricultural Contamination Everywhere Act of 2009 or TRACE Act of 2009 - Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a traceability system for all stages of manufacturing, processing, packaging, and distribution of food. States that cattle, sheep, swine, goats, horses, mules and other equines, and poultry presented for slaughter for human consumption, and the carcasses or parts of carcasses and the meat and food products of those animals, shipped in interstate commerce shall be identified in a manner that enables the Secretary to trace: (1) each animal to any location at which the animal was held at any time before slaughter; and (2) each carcass or part of a carcass and food product forward from slaughter through processing and distribution to the ultimate consumer. Directs the Secretary to establish a traceability system for all stages of production, processing, and distribution of meat and meat food products produced through the slaughter of such animals. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) prohibit or restrict entry to a slaughtering establishment of an animal not so identified; and (2) require a person or entity to maintain records. Amends the Poultry Products Inspection Act and the Egg Products Inspection Act to establish similar provisions for poultry and poultry products and for eggs and egg products.

Date: 2009-02-03
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Safe And Fair Enforcement and Recall for Meat, Poultry, and Food Act of 2009 or the SAFER Meat, Poultry, and Food Act of 2009 - Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Poultry Products Inspection Act to require a person (other than a household consumer) who has reason to believe that a meat or poultry article handled by such person is adulterated or misbranded to notify the Secretary of Agriculture of the identity and location of the article. Directs the Secretary, upon finding that the article is adulterated or misbranded and there is a reasonable probability that human consumption would present a threat to public health, to: (1) provide all appropriate persons an opportunity to cease distribution of the article, make appropriate notifications, and recall the article; and (2) require an immediate cessation of distribution if voluntary action is not taken. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) refuse to provide, or to withdraw, inspections of an establishment for willful or repeated violations of the respective Act; (2) deny or suspend inspection in the public interest to protect the health or welfare of consumers or to ensure the effective performance of an official duty under the respective Act; and (3) assess civil penalties for violations. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require a person (other than a household consumer or other individual who is an intended consumer) who has reason to believe that an article of food introduced into interstate commerce is adulterated or misbranded in a manner that, if consumed, may result in illness or injury to notify the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Directs the Secretary, upon finding that to be the case, to: (1) provide all appropriate persons an opportunity to cease distribution of such article, make appropriate notifications, and recall the article; and (2) require an immediate cessation of distribution if voluntary action is not taken. Allows the Secretary to assess penalties for prohibited acts.

Date: 2009-02-03
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009 - Establishes in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) the Food Safety Administration. Assigns all the authorities and responsibilities of the Secretary of Health and Human Services related to food safety to the Administrator of Food Safety. Transfers to the Administration all functions of specified federal agencies that relate to the administration or enforcement of food safety laws. Renames the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the Federal Drug and Device Administration.Directs the Administrator to: (1) administer a national food safety program; and (2) ensure that persons who produce, process, or distribute food prevent or minimize food safety hazards. Sets forth requirements for the Administrator to carry out such duties, including: (1) requiring food establishments to adopt preventive process controls; (2) enforcing performance standards for food safety; (3) establishing an inspection program; (4) strengthening and expanding foodborne illness surveillance systems; (5) requiring imported food to meet the same standards as U.S. food; and (6) establishing a national traceability system for food. Requires the Administrator to: (1) identify priorities for food safety research and data collection; (2) maintain a DNA matching system and epidemiological system for foodborne illness identification, outbreaks, and containment; (3) establish guidelines for a sampling system; (4) establish a national public education program on food safety; (5) conduct research on food safety; and (6) establish a working group on foodborne illness surveillance.Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to develop the Food-Borne Illness Health Registry.Directs the Comptroller General to report on the federal resources being dedicated to foodborne illness and food safety research.Sets forth provisions regarding prohibited acts, recalls, penalties for violations of food safety laws, whistleblower protections, and civil actions.

Date: 2009-02-04
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Safe Food Enforcement, Assessment, Standards, and Targeting Act of 2009 or the Safe FEAST Act of 2009 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to expand the authority of the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) to regulate food, including by authorizing the Secretary to: (1) suspend the registration of a food facility; and (2) order a cessation of distribution, or a recall, of food. Requires each food facility to evaluate hazards and implement preventive controls. Directs the Secretary to allocate inspection resources based on the risk profile of food facilities or food. Requires the Secretary and the Secretary of Agriculture to prepare the National Agriculture and Food Defense Strategy. Directs the Secretary to assess and collect fees related to: (1) food facility reinspection; (2) food recalls; and (3) the voluntary qualified importer program. Requires the Secretary to: (1) recognize bodies that accredit food testing laboratories; (2) identify preventive programs and practices to promote the safety and security of food; and (3) improve the capacity of the Secretary to track and trace raw agricultural commodities. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to enhance foodborne illness surveillance systems. Provides for: (1) foreign supplier verification activities; (2) a voluntary qualified importer program; and (3) the inspection of foreign facilities registered to import food.

Date: 2009-03-05
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Improving Communication with Consumers During Food Recall Act of 2009 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to include among prohibited acts the failure to comply with an order regarding the recall of food. Sets forth provisions governing any voluntary or mandatory recall of adulterated or misbranded food that could result in illness or injury if consumed. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to require any food retailer: (1) to inform the Secretary regarding whether the retailer has a system for identifying persons who purchased the food; and (2) if so, to issue a recall notice to those persons. Requires the notice to be made in such manner and to contain such information as the Secretary may require and to be issued by the retailer or by a third party selected by the retailer. Directs the Secretary, upon requiring a retailer to issue a recall notice for food, to: (1) identify the manufacturers, importers, distributors, or other persons that most likely caused the adulteration or misbranding; and (2) require such persons to reimburse the retailer for any costs incurred to comply with an order issued under this Act.

Date: 2009-04-02
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Commerce
Food Ingredient Right to Know Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to deem a food misbranded if it contains any spice, flavoring, or coloring derived from meat, poultry, any other animal product (including insects) unless its labeling bears a statement with appropriate prominence on the information panel providing that fact and the name of the meat, poultry, or other animal product.

Date: 2009-04-23
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Food Freshness Disclosure Act of 2009 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to deem food to be misbranded unless its label bears information on freshness. Requires the label to state a date upon which the food will no longer be fresh (i.e., contain the quantity of nutrients specified on the label and otherwise be not adulterated and of acceptable quality). Requires such date to be preceded by "best if used by," and requires such label to be conspicuously located, easy to read, and in a type size no smaller than eight point. Directs that the freshness date be on the containers of any food sent to the seller of such food to consumers. Makes this Act inapplicable to any food that is exempt from nutrition labeling requirements.

Date: 2009-04-23
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Food Protection Training Institute Act of 2009 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) create a list of uniform food protection training standards for federal, state, and local food regulatory officials and food protection officials as part of overall regulatory program standards; and (2) ensure funding is used to advance food protection and effectiveness and equivalency throughout the food protection system. Directs the Secretary to provide assistance to establish and maintain a Food Protection Training Institute to conduct activities to improve the safety of the U.S. food supply, including: (1) improving the response and prevention controls capabilities of the national food protection system; and (2) acting as a clearinghouse for research, studies, and findings concerning all aspects of food protection programs.

Date: 2009-05-20
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Health
Poison-Free Poultry Act of 2009 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to deem the arsenic compound known as roxarsone to be an unsafe food additive.

Date: 2009-09-22
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Gulf Oyster Protection Act of 2009 - Prohibits the use of federal funds to establish or implement any requirement for the control of Vibrio vulnificus applicable to the post-harvest processing of oysters that is in addition to federal requirements applicable to such processing as of the date of enactment of this Act.

Date: 2009-11-04
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Health
Downed Animal and Food Safety Protection Act - States that it is U.S. policy that all nonambulatory cattle in interstate and foreign commerce be immediately and humanely euthanized when such cattle become nonambulatory. Amends the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act of 1958 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to promulgate regulations providing for the humane treatment, handling, and disposition of nonambulatory cattle by a covered entity, including a requirement that nonambulatory cattle be humanely euthanized. Requires an entity to: (1) humanely euthanize nonambulatory cattle (while not limiting the Secretary's ability to test nonambulatory cattle for disease, such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy); and (2) not move nonambulatory cattle while such cattle is conscious, and ensure that such cattle remains unconscious until death. Prohibits an inspector at an establishment covered by the Federal Meat Inspection Act to pass nonambulatory cattle, carcass, or carcass parts through inspection. Requires an inspector or other employee at such establishment to label such material as "inspected and condemned."

Date: 2009-12-16
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Meat Contamination Prevention Act of 2010 - Amends the Federal Meat Inspection Act to permit an entity that purchases carcasses, carcass parts, meat, or meat food products that have been inspected and found to be unadulterated to perform or cause to be performed at the entity's expense a further examination to ensure that the products remain unadulterated. Prohibits a person, firm, or corporation from preventing (by contract or any other means) such further examination. Subjects a violator of such prohibition to imprisonment and/or fine. Makes similar amendments to the Poultry Products Inspection Act.

Date: 2010-03-03
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Eating Healthy at School Act of 2010 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to study and report to Congress on: (1) the effectiveness and efficiency of administrative review systems in holding local educational agencies accountable for complying with the requirements of the school lunch and breakfast programs; (2) the design and test of alternative processes and procedures that may improve the effectiveness and efficiency of such systems; and (3) any such alternative processes and procedures that reflect the results of such tests, and consider the practicality of implementation. Authorizes the Secretary to prescribe the regulations necessary to implement such alternative processes or procedures.

Date: 2010-04-14
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Education
Genetically Engineered Food Right to Know Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA), the Federal Meat Inspection Act, and the Poultry Products Inspection Act to deem a food misbranded if it contains or was produced with a genetically engineered material unless its labeling contains statements meeting specified requirements. Requires the periodic testing of such foods transferred along a chain of distribution to assure accuracy of labels, subject to specified exceptions. Excludes, in all three Acts, food: (1) served in restaurants; or (2) prepared primarily in a retail establishment, ready for human consumption, but not offered for sale for immediate consumption in the establishment. Excludes, for purposes of the FDCA, a medical food as defined in the Orphan Drug Act. Subjects violators to civil monetary penalties, exempting recipients who accept a guarantee of the absence of genetically engineered material in good faith or producers whose food inadvertently becomes contaminated by genetically engineered material. Authorizes citizen suits as specified.

Date: 2010-06-23
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Genetically Engineered Safety Act - Genetically Engineered Pharmaceutical and Industrial Crop Safety Act of 2010 - Prohibits: (1) a pharmaceutical crop or industrial crop from being grown, raised, or otherwise cultivated until the final regulations and tracking system required by this Act are in effect; and (2) cultivation of a pharmaceutical crop or industrial crop in an open air environment, or in a food commonly used for human food or domestic animal feed. Directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish a tracking system to regulate the growing, handling, transportation, and disposal of all pharmaceutical and industrial crops and their byproducts to prevent contamination. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to assess civil penalties for violations of such provisions. Directs the National Academy of Sciences to report on alternative methods to produce pharmaceuticals or industrial chemicals that may be conducted in controlled production facilities without the risk of contamination. Genetically Engineered Food Safety Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) to include genetically engineered food in the definition of "food additive." Sets forth requirements governing petitions to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) for a regulation prescribing the conditions of safe use of a genetically engineered food additive, including information to be included in the petition and factors to be considered by the Secretary in making a decision. Authorizes civil actions against: (1) a person alleged to have violated FFDCA provisions regulating genetic food additives; and (2) the Secretary of Health and Human Services for failure to perform a mandatory act or duty related to genetic food additives. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to collect a filing fee for petitions to: (1) defray costs related to such petitions; and (2) provide for research on the safety of genetic food additives. Authorizes an officer or employee conducting an inspection to order the detention of food if such person has reason to believe that such food violates the FFDCA. Requires all food retailers to register with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expedite recalls, embargoes, and seizures.

Date: 2010-06-23
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to deem a food to be misbranded if it contains genetically-engineered fish unless the food bears a label stating that fact.

Date: 2010-09-29
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to deem genetically-engineered fish to be unsafe under provisions related to new animal drugs and adulterated food.

Date: 2010-09-29
Topic: Agriculture (Food Inspection & Safety)
Subject: Agriculture and food