[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9981 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9981

   To prohibit reductions in force or other staffing reductions for 
 certain Centers of Disease Control and Prevention divisions, and for 
                            other purposes.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 30, 2026

  Mr. Gottheimer (for himself and Mr. Bacon) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To prohibit reductions in force or other staffing reductions for 
 certain Centers of Disease Control and Prevention divisions, and for 
                            other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Foodborne Illness Rapid Response 
Act''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON REDUCTIONS IN FORCE OR OTHER STAFFING REDUCTIONS 
              FOR CERTAIN CENTERS OF DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION 
              DIVISIONS.

    Section 205 of the Food Safety Modernization Act (21 U.S.C. 2224) 
is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(d) Prohibition on Reductions in Force or Other Staffing 
Reductions.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary may not, during the 1-year 
        period following a multi-state or nationally significant 
        foodborne illness outbreak, carry out a covered staffing 
        reduction effort with respect to the divisions of the Centers 
        for Disease Control and Prevention responsible for surveillance 
        of foodborne diseases and foodborne illness outbreak response.
            ``(2) Covered staffing reduction effort.--In this 
        subsection, the term `staffing reduction effort' means any 
        agency action (including a reduction in force conducted 
        pursuant to subchapter I of chapter 35 of title 5, United 
        States Code, or any agency reorganization) that provides for 
        the removal of 1 percent or more of the total number of 
        employees at each of the divisions of the Centers for Disease 
        Control and Prevention responsible for surveillance of 
        foodborne diseases and foodborne illness outbreak response 
        within a 60-day period.''.
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