Safety And Fraud Enforcement for Seafood Act
Latest action · Aug 13, 2012 Referred to the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJul 25, 2012
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Safety And Fraud Enforcement for Seafood Act - Requires the Secretaries of Commerce and Health and Human Services (HHS) to execute a memorandum of understanding to improve interagency cooperation on seafood safety, building upon any prior agreement, including those under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
Includes in such a memorandum processes concerning efficient use of inspection personnel, intergovernmental cooperation, use of data, monitoring of substances used in fish farming, and prescreening of imported seafood by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Establishes the following coordination requirements: (1) development of a process to expedite the importation of seafood from foreign countries and exporters that consistently adhere to the highest standards for seafood safety, (2) use of the national sea grant college program for outreach activities, and (3) collection of information to prevent seafood fraud. Defines "seafood fraud" as the mislabeling or misrepresentation of seafood in violation of this Act or other applicable federal laws and regulations.
Provides standards for refusal of admission of imported seafood based upon findings of failure to meet controls of existing fishery product regulations, the use of treatments or feed containing substances not approved for use by U.S. aquaculturists, or a level of any substance above the maximum deemed safe for consumption by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Provides procedures for import certifications and allowance of individual shipments in certain cases.
Includes, in fishery management plan data required to be submitted in the course of fish processing, information that accompanies seafood (including by labeling) through final sale concerning market and species names, production method, catch or aquaculture area, and weight, number, or product transformation. Requires a public website to list exporters of seafood to the United States and track violations.
Requires the Secretary of Commerce to increase the number of shipments inspected for seafood fraud, prevent the percentage of seafood shipments inspected from declining in a subsequent year, and ensure that inspections for fraud prevention also collect seafood safety information.
Allows civil actions by states for seafood fraud violations.
Requires the Secretaries to report to Congress biennially on seafood safety and seafood fraud prevention measures.
Cosponsors 19
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jul 25, 2012 to Dec 4, 2012; 4 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-MA | Barney Frank | Original | Jul 25, 2012 |
| D-CT | Joe Courtney | Original | Jul 25, 2012 |
| R-NC | Walter B. Jones | Original | Jul 25, 2012 |
| D-MA | William R. Keating | Original | Jul 25, 2012 |
| D-FL | Alcee L. Hastings | Jul 31, 2012 | |
| D-NY | Charles B. Rangel | Jul 31, 2012 | |
| R-NH | Frank C. Guinta | Aug 2, 2012 | |
| D-MA | James P. McGovern | Sep 10, 2012 | |
| D-VA | James P. Moran | Sep 10, 2012 | |
| D-MA | John F. Tierney | Sep 10, 2012 | |
| D-CA | Judy Chu | Sep 10, 2012 | |
| D-CA | Sam Farr | Sep 10, 2012 | |
| D-OH | Dennis J. Kucinich | Sep 21, 2012 | |
| D-NY | Jerrold Nadler | Sep 21, 2012 | |
| D-HI | Mazie K. Hirono | Nov 2, 2012 | |
| D-MO | Wm. Lacy Clay | Nov 27, 2012 | |
| D-DC | Eleanor Holmes Norton | Nov 28, 2012 | |
| D-GU | Madeleine Z. Bordallo | Nov 28, 2012 | |
| D-CA | Michael M. Honda | Dec 4, 2012 |
Committees 4
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Energy and Commerce Committee | Referred Jul 25, 2012 |
| Health Subcommittee | Referred Jul 27, 2012 | |
| House | Agriculture Committee | Referred Jul 25, 2012 |
| Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Subcommittee | Referred Aug 13, 2012 | |
| House | Ways and Means Committee | Referred Jul 25, 2012 |
| House | Natural Resources Committee | Referred Jul 25, 2012 |
| Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular Affairs Subcommittee | Referred Jul 31, 2012 |
Actions 6
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Aug 13, 2012Referred to the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry.
- Jul 31, 2012Referred to the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular Affairs.
- Jul 27, 2012Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
- Jul 25, 2012Introduced in House
- Jul 25, 2012Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E1327-1328)
In the Congressional Record 1
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extensions | Debate and remarks E1327 | Edward J. Markey D-MA | Jul 25, 2012 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the page H5292.
CRS reports 2
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 2
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| RL34124 | Seafood Fraud Archived | Report | Aug 31, 2015 |
| R41613 | Fishery, Aquaculture, and Marine Mammal Issues in the 112th Congress Archived | Report | Jan 22, 2013 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To strengthen Federal consumer protection and product traceability with respect to commercially marketed seafood, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Safety And Fraud Enforcement for Seafood Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Agriculture and Food.
- Administrative law and regulatory procedures
- Administrative remedies
- Agriculture and Food
- Aquaculture
- Civil actions and liability
- Congressional oversight
- Consumer affairs
- Customs enforcement
- Department of Commerce
- Department of Health and Human Services
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- Food industry and services
- Food supply, safety, and labeling
- Fraud offenses and financial crimes
- Government information and archives
- Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
- Higher education
- Intergovernmental relations
- Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
- Marketing and advertising
- Public participation and lobbying
- Research administration and funding
- Retail and wholesale trades
- Seafood
- State and local government operations
- Trade restrictions
- Veterinary medicine and animal diseases
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jul 25, 2012Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
