[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1597 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 1597

    To establish food safety research, education, and extension as 
 priorities of the Department of Agriculture, to require the use of a 
  designated team within the Department of Agriculture to enable the 
Department and other Federal agencies to rapidly respond to food safety 
  emergencies, and to improve food safety through the development and 
              commercialization of food safety technology.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            February 3, 1998

   Mr. Levin introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To establish food safety research, education, and extension as 
 priorities of the Department of Agriculture, to require the use of a 
  designated team within the Department of Agriculture to enable the 
Department and other Federal agencies to rapidly respond to food safety 
  emergencies, and to improve food safety through the development and 
              commercialization of food safety technology.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Safe Food Action 
Plan Act''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents of this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings.
Sec. 3. Food safety research, education, and extension priority.
Sec. 4. Food Safety Rapid Response Team.
Sec. 5. Emphasis on food safety research in Fund for Rural America.
Sec. 6. National Food Safety Research, Education, and Extension 
                            Program.
Sec. 7. Development and commercialization of food safety technology.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) while the American food supply is among the safest in 
        the world, every year millions of Americans are stricken by 
        illness caused by food they consume; and
            (2) an effective food safety strategy must be developed 
        that encompasses research, educational, and response efforts 
        along the entire farm-to-table spectrum and considers research 
        efforts on emerging food-borne illness and related issues at 
        the Department of Agriculture and other Federal agencies.

SEC. 3. FOOD SAFETY RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND EXTENSION PRIORITY.

    (a) Food Safety Priority.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall 
establish the identification and resolution of food safety issues as a 
priority for the research, education, and extension activities of the 
Department of Agriculture.
    (b) Multidisciplinary and Integrated Approach.--To the maximum 
extent practicable, the Secretary of Agriculture shall conduct food 
safety research, education, and extension activities on a 
multidisciplinary and integrated basis.
    (c) Consumer Education.--The Secretary of Agriculture is encouraged 
to use the authority under section 3(g) of the Act of May 8, 1914 
(commonly known as the Smith-Lever Act) (38 Stat. 373, chapter 79; 7 
U.S.C. 343(g)), to enter into cooperative agreements to carry out food 
safety consumer education programs.
    (d) Input.--In carrying out this section, the Secretary of 
Agriculture shall encourage communication among Federal agencies, 
educational institutions, and the private sector.

SEC. 4. FOOD SAFETY RAPID RESPONSE TEAM.

    (a) Designation and Composition.--
            (1) Designation.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall 
        designate a Food Safety Rapid Response Team within the 
        Department of Agriculture, to enable the Department to rapidly 
        respond to food safety emergencies.
            (2) Composition.--The Secretary shall select the members of 
        the Food Safety Rapid Response Team from personnel of the 
        Department with relevant subject matter expertise.
            (3) Coordinating officer.--The Food Safety Rapid Response 
        Team shall be under the direction of a coordinating officer who 
        is appointed by the Secretary and reports directly to the 
        Secretary.
    (b) Duties.--The Food Safety Rapid Response Team shall review and 
evaluate the response of the Department of Agriculture to outbreaks of 
food-borne illness and make recommendations to the Secretary of 
Agriculture regarding--
            (1) the more effective involvement of other Federal 
        agencies, State and local agencies, land-grant colleges and 
        universities, and other research institutions in the response 
        to a food safety emergency;
            (2) the rapid dissemination of accurate information to the 
        public regarding a food safety emergency; and
            (3) other improvements to the Federal system for response 
        to food safety emergencies.
    (c) Food Safety Action Plan.--
            (1) Preparation.--The Food Safety Rapid Response Team shall 
        develop a food safety action plan, which shall--
                    (A) delineate, within the Department of 
                Agriculture, the responsibility and mission of each 
                office and agency of the Department during a food 
                safety emergency; and
                    (B) facilitate the cooperation of the Department 
                and the coordination of the Department response with 
                other Federal agencies, States, local governments, 
                colleges and universities, industry, and public 
                interest groups.
            (2) Submission.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall 
        submit the food safety action plan required by this section to 
        Congress.
    (d) Executive Branch Cooperation and Coordination.--The Secretary 
of Agriculture is encouraged to enter into memoranda of understanding, 
with the heads of other Federal agencies that conduct similar programs 
or activities regarding food safety, for the purpose of ensuring 
consistent, accurate, and coordinated dissemination throughout the 
executive branch of information and services in the event of a food 
safety emergency.

SEC. 5. EMPHASIS ON FOOD SAFETY RESEARCH IN FUND FOR RURAL AMERICA.

    Section 793(c)(2)(A) of the Federal Agriculture Improvement and 
Reform Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 2204f(c)(2)(A)) is amended--
            (1) in clause (vii), by striking ``; and'' and inserting a 
        semicolon;
            (2) in clause (viii), by striking the period and inserting 
        ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(ix) increase food safety from farm to 
                        table.''.

SEC. 6. NATIONAL FOOD SAFETY RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND EXTENSION 
              PROGRAM.

    (a) Definition of Food and Agricultural Sciences.--Section 
1404(8)(B) of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and 
Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103(8)(B)) is amended by 
inserting ``, including food safety'' after ``agricultural products''.
    (b) Food Safety Program.--The National Agricultural Research, 
Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 is amended by inserting 
after section 1425 (7 U.S.C. 3175) the following:

``SEC. 1426. NATIONAL FOOD SAFETY RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND EXTENSION 
              PROGRAM.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall establish the National Food 
Safety Research, Education, and Extension Program to reduce the 
incidence of food-borne illness to the maximum extent practicable 
through research, education, and extension activities.
    ``(b) Elements of Program.--The Secretary shall use the National 
Food Safety Research, Education, and Extension Program--
            ``(1) to conduct and coordinate research concerning food-
        borne threats to human health and research concerning 
        mechanisms to identify, reduce, eliminate, and prevent food-
        borne threats from entering into, and existing in, the food 
        supply, including research to develop rapid, cost effective 
        tests--
                    ``(A) for the presence of food pathogens (such as 
                Salmonella, Campylobacter, E. coli O157:H7, 
                Cryptosporidium, Hepatitis A and Norwalk viruses, 
                Pfiesteria piscicida and other marine toxins, 
                Cyclospora, and Toxoplasma);
                    ``(B) to enhance understanding of how the pathogens 
                become resistant to preservation technologies; and
                    ``(C) to develop technologies for prevention and 
                control of the pathogens;
            ``(2) to enhance surveillance by providing data to 
        anticipate and prevent future outbreaks of food-borne illness 
        by focusing on production, processing, handling, 
        transportation, and storage practices, proper use of veterinary 
        drugs and feed, and management of animal wastes;
            ``(3) to fill current knowledge gaps in food safety issues, 
        including through development of better data and modeling 
        techniques to improve risk assessments;
            ``(4) to identify ways to improve the dissemination of 
        information regarding food safety strategies to all 
        participants in the farm-to-table spectrum, including 
        agricultural producers, processors, transporters, handlers, and 
        consumers, so as to reduce the incidence of food-borne illness;
            ``(5) to coordinate the activities of the Federal 
        Government and land-grant colleges and universities regarding 
        research on food safety issues and the dissemination of the 
        results of the research; and
            ``(6) to cooperate with State governments and the private 
        sector to improve and enhance the safety of food.
    ``(c) Contract, Grants, and Cooperative Agreements.--
            ``(1) In general.--With funds available to carry out this 
        section, the Secretary may enter into contracts, grants, or 
        cooperative agreements with individuals and organizations in 
        accordance with section 1472.
            ``(2) Competitive basis.--Grants made under this subsection 
        shall be made on a competitive basis.
    ``(d) Administration.--
            ``(1) Costs.--The Secretary may retain for administration 
        up to 4 percent of amounts appropriated for the National Food 
        Safety Research, Education, and Extension Program authorized by 
        this section, notwithstanding the availability of any 
        appropriation for administrative expenses of the National Food 
        Safety Research, Education, and Extension Program.
            ``(2) Regulations.--The Secretary shall promulgate 
        regulations necessary for the administration of this section.
            ``(3) Consultation with national academy of sciences.--The 
        Secretary may use funds made available under this section to 
        consult with the National Academy of Sciences regarding the 
        administration of the National Food Safety Research, Education, 
        and Extension Program without regard to the requirements of the 
        Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) and title XVIII 
        of the Food and Agriculture Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2281 et 
        seq.).''.

SEC. 7. DEVELOPMENT AND COMMERCIALIZATION OF FOOD SAFETY TECHNOLOGY.

    (a) Cooperative Agreements for Food Safety Technology.--
Notwithstanding chapter 63 of title 31, United States Code, the 
Secretary of Agriculture may enter into cooperative agreements with a 
person or entity otherwise eligible to enter into such an agreement 
under section 1472 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, 
and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3318) under which the 
facilities and technical expertise of the Agricultural Research Service 
may be made available to the person or entity for the purpose of 
developing and commercializing new technologies and products for food 
safety to the point of practical application.
    (b) Sale of New Technologies and Products.--The Secretary of 
Agriculture shall authorize the partners in a cooperative agreement 
under this section to sell new technologies and products for food 
safety produced under the agreement for the purpose of determining the 
market potential for the new technologies or products.
    (c) Source of Funds.--To carry out this section, the Secretary of 
Agriculture may use funds made available to carry out this section and 
funds otherwise available for the cooperative agreements that may be 
entered into under section 12 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology 
Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3710a).
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