DSHEA REPEAL LEGISLATION DELAYED, NOT DEAD

[Guest guest]

McCain Legislation Only Delayed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PRESS RELEASE

 

 

 

 DSHEA REPEAL LEGISLATION

DELAYED, NOT DEAD

 

March 10, 2010

 

 

 

         The NHF wants to thank its many members and others who

responded to our Petition drive in opposition to S.3002, Senator John McCain's

so-called “Dietary Supplement Safety Act†(DSSA).  This egregious and

uninformed bill has been promoted as an effort to eliminate the bad

actors from the dietary-supplement industry, that is, those marketing

products illegally spiked with steroid ingredients and used by

body-builders and professional and amateur athletes.  Our and others’

extensive lobbying efforts have been successful to a point, but it is

important to remember that this legislative issue is not over until this

Congress leaves town.

         Our Petition and many letters from across the country, and

active help from long-time supplement supporter and Dietary Supplement Health

and Education Act

(DSHEA)-author Orrin Hatch,

against the McCain-Dorgan bill has resulted in Senator

McCain withdrawing his support for

this bill.  Senator Dorgan

(D-ND), on the other hand, has not indicated if he has revised his

position on S.3002.

         For the time being, on the Senate side of Congress, the bill

has apparently been delayed.  However, unless and until McCain formally

pulls his bill, the DSSA bill is still alive in the Senate for the rest

of this year.  The Hatch-McCain understanding does not, under Senate

procedures, preclude any other Senator like Dorgan, or the

anti-supplement, DSHEA-hating Dick

Durbin (the Assistant Senate Majority

Leader), from filing a Motion to Discharge S.3002 from the Senate

HELP

committee, where it currently is.  If this happens the bill can be sent

directly to the full Senate for a passage vote.

         This victory shows the strength of an organized

health-freedom community in influencing Congress.  The NHF, however,

believes that the job is not over on this dangerous legislation until

this Congress leaves town.  The NHF will lobby and monitor the S.3002

matter in the Senate.  The Hatch letter of March 4th, which addresses

McCain’s withdrawal of support from his own bill, can be downloaded from

the NHF webpage at

http://www.thenhf.com/government_affairs/federal/HatchLetteronDSSA.pdf.

         To stay ahead of the issue, the NHF is also in contact with

Members in the House on the potential introduction of similar

legislation by the openly anti-supplement, DSHEA-hating Congressman Henry

Waxman.

 As the Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and close ally

of Speaker Nancy Pelosi,

he has great legislative autonomy to pass those bills he wants passed.

         The current highly-charged legislative and political

atmosphere that sees an anti-supplement Democrat leadership in control,

eager to eliminate the dietary-supplement industry as an

increasingly-competitive thorn in the side of the pharmaceutical

industry, could see anything happen in the halls of Congress.  With junk

science at their ready disposal and using “manufactured consent,†our

politicians could easily “justify†drug-like regulation of supplements

and further expansion of FDA authority over individual rights, access,

and health-care freedom of choice.

         So, stay tuned, stay pro-active, and be persistently vocal

and vigilant against all efforts to usurp our individual liberties.

 

 

 

 

 

 

AND MAKE THESE ARGUMENTS TO YOUR SENATORS!

When visiting or calling your Senators, or e-mailing or writing them,

use our prepared list of bullet point arguments in discussing S.3002. 

Go to www.thenhf.com/press_releases/McCain%20Bill_Flyer.pdf

and print out this handy one-page sheet for your use.  Feel free to

distribute it far and wide to all of your interested contacts as well

for their use.

 

(Click Here For The Online

Petition)

(Click Here For A Suggested

Letter)

(Click Here For The Opposition

Handout)

 

Senator McCain

Office phone number: (202) 224-2235

E-mail

Senator McCain:

http://mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm

Senator Dorgan

Office phone: (202) 224-2551

E-mail address: http://dorgan.senate.gov/contact/contact_form.cfm

 

 

 

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Click on this address to find your U.S. Senators:  http://www.senate.gov

Contact Information to E-mail Senators:

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

The

Senate main number is (202)

224-3121

Click on the following link below for individual mailing addresses for

letter

writing and other contact info for Congress Members:

Senate

 

 

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As the oldest and best-respected health-freedom group on

Capitol Hill, the NHF continues to be the credible source of objective

assessment of, and proactive actions on, Congressional legislation and

FDA

matters that have material impact upon our freedom-of-health choices

and access to dietary

supplements and nutritional foods.