Subject: [permaculture] Food Safety Bill Quietly Scheduled for a Vote
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 2009 11:28:35 -0400
From: American Association for Health Freedom
Subject: Food Safety Bill Quietly Scheduled for a Vote on House Floor
Call Your Representative Now!
HR2749 is set on the House Suspension Calendar for a vote Tuesday or
Wednesday of this week- WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE BILL MAY BE MODIFIED BUT
THE NEW LANGUAGE HAS NOT YET BEEN RELEASED! A bill considered on the
suspension calendar means no amendments are allowed and only 40 minutes
of debate is permitted equally divided between the opponents and
proponents of the bill.
A bill of this scale needs to be carefully and extensively debated and
open for amendments! The implications from such an expansive bill could
be detrimental to consumers' access to healthy foods and to the
prosperity of small business owners.
Since we have not seen the revised bill, we only know what the bill
originally looked like-which wasn't good. Our primary concerns remain:
(1) establishing an annual $500 user fee that subsidizes giant food
processors at the expense of small and family-owned businesses which is
simply unfair;
(2) lumping small farms and processors into the same category as large
agribusiness operations, and creating complicated regulations without
special rules for small businesses;
(3) allowing the FDA to directly regulate farming practices-be it a
large commercial farm or a small organic operation; and
(4) increasing the FDA's authority dramatically with no corresponding
increase in oversight of the agency such as unlimited access to any and
all records-without cause-and the ability to impose substantial criminal
and civil fines-without a showing of harm-for administrative violations.
How can a Representative thoroughly review over 100 pages and have an
informed vote with only 40 minutes of debate?
Please telephone and/or email your Representatives to voice your
concerns-let her/him know that this bill needs a thorough review and
should be open for amendments!
Thank you for taking the time!
Tami L. Wahl
Legislative Director
American Association for Health Freedom
Posted by:
Brent McMillan, Steward of Woodhaven
Avilla, IN USA
[permaculture] Food Safety Bill Quietly Scheduled for a Vote,
Brent McMillan, 07/28/2009