US food safety bill defeated - or just delayed?

But the bill’s passage into law is likely to have been delayed rather than defeated as Democrat supporters moved quickly to ensure it is brought back to the House of Representatives later today.

The legislation, which aims to step up inspections of food plants as well as oblige processors and manufacturers to take more responsibility for the prevention of food-borne illnesses, failed to secure enough votes to pass through the House on Wednesday.

Two thirds majority​

The bill needed to pass with a two thirds majority after being tabled under speeded up procedures that prevented amendments and capped debating time to 40 minutes. The ballot of 280 in favour of the bill, with 150 against, meant the measure fell short by seven votes. Usually, only uncontroversial legislation is tabled under these arrangements.

However, Democrats will attempt to push the bill through later today under procedures that require a simple majority.

Pushed through too quickly​

Although the bill received unanimously approval from the Energy and Commerce Committee last month, 23 Democrats and two thirds of Republican members voted against it. Concerns that the bill had been hurried through the House appeared to have played an important role in the hold-up.

“This may be a great bill, I have no idea,” said leading Republican John Boehner, who explained the final copy of the bill had only been made available earlier yesterday.

“We’ve got this major food safety bill here on the floor and nobody gets to offer an amendment, nobody gets to have a debate about it and nobody clearly has much of an idea of what’s in the bill,” he added.

The legislation, known as the Food Safety Enhancement Act, would also grant the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) new powers to scrutinise food processors’ sanitation records and demand recalls of tainted products, as well as set up a tracking system for domestic and imported products. Processors would be required to pay a charge of $500 per facility to fund increased inspections by the FDA.

Concessions​

Republicans also rallied opposition on concerns the bill would promote too much government intervention for farmers and could “add burdens to many small businesses and farms across this country”, said Frank Lucas, Republican representative for Oklahoma. The measures would also increase consumer food prices, he added.

However, the farming lobby won some last-minute concessions which saw grain growers exempted from farm standards, as well as farms and food retail outlets excused from having to register with the FDA and pay the $500 annual fee.

Commenting on the defeat, bill sponsor John Dingell said he was a “little disheartened that Americans will have to wait a little longer now to feel safe about their food supply again”.