[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2876 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2876

To promote food safety through continuation of the Food Animal Residue 
  Avoidance Database program operated by the Secretary of Agriculture.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            November 7, 1997

 Mr. Andrews introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                        Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To promote food safety through continuation of the Food Animal Residue 
  Avoidance Database program operated by the Secretary of Agriculture.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FOOD ANIMAL RESIDUE AVOIDANCE DATABASE PROGRAM.

    (a) Continuation of Program.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall 
continue operation of the Food Animal Residue Avoidance Database 
program (referred to in this section as the ``FARAD program'') through 
appropriate colleges or universities.
    (b) Activities.--In carrying out the FARAD program, the Secretary 
of Agriculture shall--
            (1) provide livestock producers, extension specialists, 
        scientists, and veterinarians with information to prevent drug, 
        pesticide, and environmental contaminant residues in food 
        animal products;
            (2) maintain up-to-date information concerning--
                    (A) withdrawal times on FDA-approved food animal 
                drugs and appropriate withdrawal intervals for drugs 
                used in food animals in the United States, as 
                established under section 512(a) of the Federal Food, 
                Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 360b(a));
                    (B) official tolerances for drugs and pesticides in 
                tissues, eggs, and milk;
                    (C) descriptions and sensitivities of rapid 
                screening tests for detecting residues in tissues, 
                eggs, and milk; and
                    (D) data on the distribution and fate of chemicals 
                in food animals;
            (3) publish periodically a compilation of food animal drugs 
        approved by the Food and Drug Administration;
            (4) make information on food animal drugs available to the 
        public through handbooks and other literature, computer 
        software, a telephone hotline, and the Internet;
            (5) furnish producer quality-assurance programs with up-to-
        date data on approved drugs;
            (6) maintain a comprehensive and up-to-date residue 
        avoidance database;
            (7) provide professional advice for determining the 
        withdrawal times necessary for food safety in the use of drugs 
        in food animals; and
            (8) engage in other activities designed to promote food 
        safety.
    (c) Grants.--The Secretary of Agriculture may make grants to 
colleges and universities to operate the FARAD program. The term of a 
grant shall be three years, with options to extend the term of the 
grant triennially.
    (d) Funds for Program.--There is authorized to be appropriated to 
carry out this section $1,000,000 for each fiscal year. To the extent 
that funds made available to carry out the FARAD program are 
insufficient for a fiscal year, the Secretary of Agriculture may use 
other funds appropriated to the Secretary for research, education, and 
extension activities.
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