Fwd: Food Safety Bill Quietly Scheduled for a Vote on House Floor Call Your Representative Now!

[Guest guest]

>Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:29:22 -0500 (CDT)

>American Association for Health Freedom <office

>American Association for Health Freedom <office

>bettym19

>Food Safety Bill Quietly Scheduled for

>a Vote on House Floor Call Your Representative Now!

>Organization: American Association for Health Freedom

>

>

>

>HR2749 is set on the House Suspension Calendar

>for a vote Tuesday or Wednesday of this week­ WE

>UNDERSTAND THAT THE BILL MAY BE MODIFIED BUT THE

>NEW LANGUAGE HAS NOT YET BEEN RELEASED! A bill

>considered on the suspension calendar means no

>amendments are allowed and only 40 minutes of

>debate is permitted equally divided between the

>opponents and proponents of the bill.

>

>A bill of this scale needs to be carefully and

>extensively debated and open for

>amendments! The implications from such an

>expansive bill could be detrimental to

>consumers’ access to healthy foods and to the

>prosperity of small business owners.

>

>Since we have not seen the revised bill, we only

>know what the bill originally looked like­which

>wasn’t good. Our primary concerns remain:

>

>(1) establishing an annual $500 user fee that

>subsidizes giant food processors at the expense

>of small and family-owned businesses which is simply unfair;

>

>(2) lumping small farms and processors into the

>same category as large agribusiness operations,

>and creating complicated regulations without

>special rules for small businesses;

>

>(3) allowing the FDA to directly regulate

>farming practices­be it a large commercial farm

>or a small organic operation; and

>

>(4) increasing the FDA’s authority dramatically

>with no corresponding increase in oversight of

>the agency such as unlimited access to any and

>all records­without cause­and the ability to

>impose substantial criminal and civil

>fines­without a showing of harm­for administrative violations.

>

>How can a Representative thoroughly review over

>100 pages and have an informed vote with only 40 minutes of debate?

>

><http://aahf.convio.net/site/R?i=oNQ7dtFtQnb9X8mNrRvnxw..>Please

>telephone and/or

><http://aahf.convio.net/site/R?i=tVBWd_U3Sc7ss3FOC8MLNg..>email

>your Representatives to voice your concerns­let

>her/him know that this bill needs a thorough

>review and should be open for amendments!

>

>Thank you for taking the time!

>

>Tami L. Wahl

>Legislative Director

>

>American Association for Health Freedom

>