Food Safety Bill passed the House...strips states of food labeling rights.

[madfloridian]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/14/AR2006031401120.html

"Last week, even as Congress with great fanfare was protecting the American people against whatever mischief the harbor barons of Dubai were contemplating, it quietly decided to strip some long-standing protections from the same American people at the behest of our very own food industry. Last Wednesday the House passed the National Uniformity for Food Act, which might better be named the Swallow at Your Own Risk Act."

In one swoop, the bill preempts roughly 200 state laws governing food safety. The theory here is that we lack uniform national standards in such areas as lead and arsenic content, milk and shellfish safety, and the stuff that goes into food coloring and additives. National standards, the bill's champions argue, would be good for the whole country."

"Funny thing, though. The bill doesn't set any national standards. It doesn't require that the Food and Drug Administration set such standards. It merely reserves to the FDA the right to set such standards, and negates a slew of laws that every single state has enacted over the past 60 years to make up for the FDA's neglect of food safety."

"Now the House has decreed that all these state statutes are preempted by federal regulations -- even if there are no germane federal regulations. States that wish to retain their standards can appeal to the FDA, which would have 180 days to rule on the appeals. Problem is, the Congressional Budget Office estimates it would cost the FDA $100 million to review all those statutes. The FDA doesn't have the money, and when the bill came to the floor last week, the Republican leadership didn't permit a vote on an amendment that would have appropriated the funds."

Very scary stuff.

I am trying to find which Democrats voted for it. I know Kendrick Meek voted Yes as did Allen Boyd. I don't see other Floridians who did. This site is handy to check.

I hear it comes before the Senate this week.

http://www.congress.org/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=32&chamber=H&congress=1092&state=fl

[rodeodance]

1. now the Feds will control this arena also

[AndyA]

2. A message to all "AYE" voters

I hope all of you - every last one of you MoFo's - get a food borne illness that puts your sorry ass in bed with bloody diarrhea for a week!

Shame on you for your misrepresentation of the American people!!

[katmondoo]

8. I guess Republicans don't eat

[WindRavenX]

3. It's not a suprise as they have watered down the standard for organic

The ability to make choices about diet is heavily releant on the information on the food labels. This is a step in the wrong direction.

[madfloridian]

4. No hearings held on this issue. No discussion.

"Though the act has been kicking around since the late 1990s, Congress hasn't held a single hearing on its provisions. Last Dec. 15 the bill came before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. No witnesses were called. No testimony was taken. No expert opinion was solicited; no food conglomerate itemized its grievances; and no reports were submitted. No one even made the case for why the bill was needed. It was simply put to a vote. Then, last week, when all eyes were on the Dubai deal, the Republican leadership suddenly sent the bill to the floor, under a rule that limited debate and prohibited most amendments. It passed, 283 to 139, with 212 Republicans and 71 Democrats voting yes -- prima facie evidence that the Republicans deserve to lose control of Congress and that Democrats don't yet deserve to win it."

That is how you do it. That is how you give it all to the corporations. I will bet that mostly the same ones who voted for CAFTA and previous free trade stuff voted for this as well.

71 House Dems voted for it.

Maybe someone has a list, or I might make one.

[MadHound]

5. Once more, we the people are left to fend for ourselves

I highly recommend that in light of this lack of protection, each and every one of us stops shopping at grocery chains. Instead, start buying your food from your local farmers or local farmers market. The food that you will find from such sources is, for the most part, organic without additives. If you have to buy from a grocery chain, buy items that have been certified organic. That is the only label that is going to be meaningful anymore. Yes, it will cost you a bit more, at least at the grocery store, but which is worse, paying a bit more at the checkout lane or risking serious injury, disease even death by buying prepackaged, untested, unlabled food?

[madfloridian]

6. New York votes...just for examples. From Congress.org

Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-5) N
• Rep. Tim Bishop (D-1) N
• Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-24) Y
• Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-7) Y
• Rep. Eliot Engel (D-17) N
• Rep. Vito Fossella (R-13) Y
• Rep. Brian Higgins (D-27) Y
• Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-22) N
• Rep. Steve Israel (D-2) Y
• Rep. Sue Kelly (R-19) N
• Rep. Peter King (R-3) Y
• Rep. Randy Kuhl (R-29) Y
• Rep. Nita Lowey (D-18) N
• Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-14) N
• Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-4) N
• Rep. John McHugh (R-23) Y
• Rep. Michael McNulty (D-21) N
• Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-6) Y
• Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-8) N
• Rep. Major Owens (D-11) N
• Rep. Charles Rangel (D-15) N
• Rep. Thomas Reynolds (R-26) Y
• Rep. Jose Serrano (D-16) N
• Rep. Louise McIntosh Slaughter (D-28) N
• Rep. John Sweeney (R-20) NV
• Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-10) Y
• Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-12) Y
• Rep. James Walsh (R-25) Y
• Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-9) N

Other states:

http://www.congress.org/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=32&chamber=H&congress=1092

[sheelz]

10. • Rep. Brian Higgins (D-27) Y

He's getting a nasty letter from me. He's got his head stuck up his ass again.

[CrispyQ]

7. You gotta love those "smaller government" conservatives.

:puke:

:banghead:

[Initech]

9. Ah, so now people are going to get fatter and stupider! Great!

[SnoopDog]

11. Here is the last paragraph from the article - disgusting,,,

So this prick Boehner (how appropriate) says money talks and that is the only criteria.

This fucking has to stop.


"The bill now goes to the Senate, where California's two senators, Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, have vowed to defeat it. But the message from the new, John Boehner-led reformed Republican House to American business couldn't be clearer: We're not going to let anything so vulgar as evidence, or our ostensible belief in states' rights, sway our judgment when the interests of our financial backers are t stake. Money still talks here; money screams."

[SnoopDog]

12. Rate this up please - and call your Senators...

I am so tired of pointing out the obvious to our elected officals....

[mom cat]

13. Keep pointing it out SnoopDog. Someone visiting for the first time might

just make their first call. This is critical. Everyone who voted against the health of all Americans should go down hard! K&R

[madfloridian]

14. Texas votes by Democrats...not good. Surprised by Jackson Lee.

How the U.S. House from Texas voted: voted
• Rep. Joe Barton (R-6) Y
• Rep. Henry Bonilla (R-23) Y
• Rep. Kevin Brady (R-8) Y
• Rep. Michael Burgess (R-26) Y
• Rep. John Carter (R-31) Y
• Rep. Mike Conaway (R-11) Y
• Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-28) Y
• Rep. John Culberson (R-7) Y
• Rep. Tom DeLay (R-22) Y
• Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-25) N
• Rep. Chet Edwards (D-17) Y
• Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-1) Y
• Rep. Charles Gonzalez (D-20) NV
• Rep. Kay Granger (R-12) Y
• Rep. Gene Green (D-29) N
• Rep. Al Green (D-9) Y
• Rep. Ralph Hall (R-4) Y
• Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-5) Y
• Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (D-15) Y
• Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-18) Y
• Rep. Sam Johnson (R-3) Y
• Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-30) Y
• Rep. Kenny Marchant (R-24) Y
• Rep. Michael McCaul (R-10) Y
• Rep. Randy Neugebauer (R-19) Y
• Rep. Solomon Ortiz (D-27) Y
• Rep. Ron Paul (R-14) N
• Rep. Ted Poe (R-2) Y
• Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-16) Y
• Rep. Pete Sessions (R-32) Y
• Rep. Lamar Smith (R-21) Y
• Rep. William Thornberry (R-13) Y

[RazzleDazzle]

15. Govt of, by and for CORPORATIONS

I think that's considered fascism, folks.

[madfloridian]

16. More about the lobbyists pushing this, and wives working as lobbyists.

http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060315/NEWS/603150334/1036

""Important consumer warnings dealing with mercury in fish, arsenic in drinking water and lead in cans are just a few examples of states' food labeling requirements that would be eviscerated by this bill," the attorneys general protested.

So what's driving this latest federal usurpation of states' rights? In a nutshell, the processed-food l obby would rather deal with an industry-friendly FDA than with 50 different state governments. As to why the bill seems greased (it's never even had a public hearing), that's no mystery either.

Among the lobbyists working on its behalf are the wife of the House majority whip, the brother of the White House chief of staff and former employees of the House majority leader. "It's a perfect storm of insider access, big money and bad policy," Andy Igrejas, of the National Environmental Trust, told reporters last week. "They're sweeping away 200 state laws without a hearing, all because wealthy interests want them to."

Last week, the bill passed the House by a lopsided 283-139 vote. All three House members representing portions of Polk County -- Adam Putnam, R-Bartow, Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Brooksville, and Dave Weldon, R-Palm Bay -- supported it. The Senate has yet to take up the issue."