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Today, the Senate is supposed to
deal—at last—with S.510, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. Here's
what I'm told is likely to happen (it gives me a headache just to think about
it):
- 4:00 pm EST: Senate resumes discussion of S.510.
- 6:30 pm: Senate proceeds to cloture vote on the
substitute amendment to S.510.
- Cloture is invoked.
- Post-cloture and upon the use or yielding back of the time
allotted in the agreement (one hour for motions re: 1099 and four hours
for Coburn motions), the Senate will proceed to vote on the motions in the
following order: (1) Johanns (1099 forms-the repeal on a tax burden on
small businesses), (2) Baucus (1099 forms), (3) Coburn (earmarks), (4)
Coburn (substitute)
- Once those are disposed of, Senate votes on passage of
the bill, as amended.
- Observers expect all of this to last well into the
night.
- Note: Because all of the amendments are offered as
motions to suspend the rules, they require a two-thirds vote. Final
passage requires 51. Cloture requires 60.
And in case your mind is still not made
up about how this should go, take a look at today's commentaries:
Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser have
an op-ed in The New York Times: "A Stale Food Fight":
In the last week, agricultural trade groups, from the Produce Marketing Association to the United Egg Producers, have come out against the bill, ostensibly on the grounds that the small farms now partially exempted would pose a food safety threat. (Note that these small farms will continue to be regulated under state and local laws.) It is hard to escape the conclusion that these industry groups never much liked the new rules in the first place. They just didn't dare come out against them publicly, not when 80 percent of Americans support strengthening the F.D.A.'s authority to regulate food.
And FoodSafetyNews, ever on the job,
has three pieces on the bill today (I'm referred to in a couple of them):
- A summary of where the bill stands to date
- An opinion piece by Chuck Jolley demolishing
the myths about the bill
- An opinion piece, "Protect Small Farms," by
Roland McReynolds
With a little luck, the Senate will
pass the bill tonight, large and small farms will comply with its provisions,
and our food supply will be safer as a result. One can always dream.
Additions: A few more editorial
comments, all in favor of passing S.510.
The
Sacramento Bee editorial (11-25)
The
Minneapolis Star Tribune
(11-27)
The
Bemidji (MN) Pioneer
(11-28)
The Baltimore Sun (11-28 and the 29 in some editions)
New York Times editorial (11-16)
USA Today (11-23)
Las Vegas Sun (11-23)
Lexington (KY) Herald Leader
(11-23)
This article available online at:
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2010/11/tonights-senate-food-safety-vote-what-to-expect/67152/
