- APHA Legislative Updates, June 2009

House Committee Passes Climate Change Bill

On May 20, the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 by a vote of 33-25 after four days of debate and consideration of numerous amendments. The bill is sponsored by Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Energy and Environment Subcommittee Chair Edward Markey (D-Mass.)

APHA worked with Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.) and Chairman Henry Waxman to strengthen the public health section of the bill. The legislation as passed by the Committee would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a national strategic action plan for preparing for and responding to the impacts of climate change on health, including providing funding for climate and health research. Rep Capps had previously introduced the public health section of H.R. 2454 as a stand-alone bill that was later incorporated into the larger climate and energy bill. You can read APHA’s press release in support of the climate change and public health language at: http://www.apha.org/about/news/pressreleases/2009/climatechangerelease.htm

According to a summary of the bill on the House Energy and Commerce Committee website, the bill would also:

• Require electric utilities to meet 20% of their electricity demand through renewable energy sources and energy efficiency by 2020.
• Invest in new clean energy technologies and energy efficiency, including energy efficiency and renewable energy ($90 billion in new investments by 2025), carbon capture and sequestration ($60 billion), electric and other advanced technology vehicles ($20 billion), and basic scientific research and development ($20 billion).
• Mandate new energy-saving standards for buildings, appliances, and industry.
• Reduce carbon emissions from major U.S. sources by 17% by 2020 and over 80% by 2050 compared to 2005 levels. Complementary measures in the legislation, such as investments in preventing tropical deforestation, will achieve significant additional reductions in carbon emissions.
• Protect consumers from energy price increases. According to estimates from the Environmental Protection Agency, the reductions in carbon pollution required by the legislation will cost American families less than a postage stamp per day.

A number of other committees in the House of Representatives that have jurisdiction over various portions of the bill, including the Ways and Means Committee, the Agriculture Committee and the Transportation Committee, may move to make changes to the bill that was passed by the Energy and Commerce Committee. In addition to its work to secure strong public health language in the House bill, APHA has been meeting with key members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Senate Finance Committee and other key Senate offices to ensure strong public health language is included in the Senate bill when it is introduced.

Energy and Commerce Members Release Foods Safety Proposal

On May 26, several members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, including  Reps. John  Dingell (D-Mich.), Chairs Henry Waxman, Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), and Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), and Reps. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) and Betty Sutton (D-Ohio) released a discussion draft of the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009.

The legislation would require a number of changes aimed at improving the safety of the nation’s food supply including:

• Requiring all facilities that all facilities within the U.S. or those that import food into the U.S. register with the FDA each year;
• Requiring all facilities within the U.S. or importing food into the U.S. to implement food safety plans (meeting at least minimum FDA requirements) which would be subject to FDA audit;
• Increasing FDA inspection of food facilities at both high and low risk facilities as well as at warehouses;
• Improving FDA’s ability to trace the origins of contaminated food in the event of an outbreak of foodborne illness;
• Allowing FDA to require stricter food safety requirements on foods imported into the U.S.
• Allowing FDA to issue mandatory recalls of contaminated food and strengthens criminal penalties and establishes civil penalties that may be imposed on facilities that fail to meet safety requirements.

APHA recently sent a letter outlining what it believes are they key public health provisions that must be contained in any food safety legislation considered by Congress this year. You can view the letter at: http://www.apha.org/NR/rdonlyres/7981A32E-9CD2-4164-90B1-7082A489180B/0/FoodSafety.pdf.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on the legislation on Wednesday, June 5. For more information on the hearing including witness testimony, the draft proposal, including a summary, visit the Energy and Commerce Committee website at: http://energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1640&catid=132&Itemid=72

You can send a message to you Representative and Senators outlining APHA’s priorities for food safety legislation by visiting the APHA website at: https://secure3.convio.net/apha/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=141