Hank Johnson: “This amendment would exempt from the bill any rule issued by the Food and Drug Administration that pertains to consumer…”

“This amendment would exempt from the bill any rule issued by the Food and Drug Administration that pertains to consumer safety. This amendment is necessary to safeguard the public health and safety of American consumers from the bill's burdensome regulatory framework, which would significantly delay or prevent critical rules that protect public health and safety from being issued by the FDA. Just recently, the FDA finally implemented the bipartisan FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, which was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama in 2011, representing the most substantial reform to food safety in over 70 years. According to the Centers for Disease Control, one in six Americans gets sick every year from foodborne diseases. That is 48 million people yearly. Of these 48 million people, 3,000 every year die from diseases that are largely preventable. Under authority and clear regulatory framework achieved by the Food Safety Modernization Act, the FDA's finalized rules will prevent foodborne illnesses and outbreaks associated with contaminated produce among other important protections. In its letter opposing H.R. 4768, the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards, which represents more than 150 labor, food, and health safety and environmental public interest groups, notes that H.R. 4768 will lead to ``regulatory paralysis,'' particularly for rules related to the food safety sector.…”