HR 1012 · 113th Congress 2013–2015, ended

Safety And Fraud Enforcement for Seafood Act

Latest action · Apr 2, 2013 Referred to the Subcommittee on Livestock, Rural Development, and Credit.

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.

  1. IntroducedMar 6, 2013
  2. Passed HouseNot reached
  3. Passed SenateNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. 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 and fraud prevention, 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, and utilization of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Seafood Inspection Program as a third-party auditor to inspect imported seafood.

Establishes coordination requirements for: (1) the use of the national sea grant college program for outreach activities, and (2) the collection of information to prevent seafood fraud. Defines "seafood fraud" as the mislabeling or misrepresentation of seafood information required under this Act or other applicable federal laws and regulations.

Requires, of the fishery management plan data required to be submitted in the course of fish processing, certain minimum information, in addition to catch locations, to accompany seafood through final sale (on the packaging display or otherwise) including market and species names, harvest method, catch date, and product weight or number. Directs additional information to be provided for seafood that was: (1) previously frozen, treated with substances affecting weight, or processed in a country other than that in which it was landed or harvested; or (2) farm-raised, with details regarding the country and method of cultivation as well as the location of the aquaculture production area. Exempts importers, processors, distributors, or retailers from violations for unknowingly selling a product that was already mislabeled upon receipt, provided that such entities can produce the appropriate product traceability documentation.

Provides standards for refusal of admission of imported seafood based upon findings that any shipment appears to be in violation of such seafood traceability requirements or other applicable federal laws or regulations.

Provides procedures for import certifications and allowance of individual shipments in certain cases.

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 by NOAA inspectors and authorized officers, 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 28

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Mar 6, 2013 to Jan 8, 2014; 5 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
R-ALJo BonnerOriginalMar 6, 2013
D-MAJohn F. TierneyOriginalMar 6, 2013
D-CALois CappsOriginalMar 6, 2013
R-NCWalter B. JonesOriginalMar 6, 2013
D-MAWilliam R. KeatingOriginalMar 6, 2013
D-NHCarol Shea-PorterMar 15, 2013
D-VIDonna M. ChristensenMar 15, 2013
D-DCEleanor Holmes NortonMar 15, 2013
D-CAGrace F. NapolitanoMar 15, 2013
D-MAJames P. McGovernMar 15, 2013
D-GUMadeleine Z. BordalloMar 15, 2013
D-AZRaúl M. GrijalvaMar 15, 2013
D-FLTheodore E. DeutchMar 15, 2013
D-NYCharles B. RangelApr 9, 2013
D-OREarl BlumenauerApr 9, 2013
D-CAJackie SpeierApr 9, 2013
D-FLKathy CastorApr 9, 2013
D-CASam FarrApr 9, 2013
D-MAStephen F. LynchApr 9, 2013
D-FLAlcee L. HastingsApr 15, 2013
D-FLFrederica S. WilsonApr 15, 2013
D-NYJerrold NadlerApr 15, 2013
D-CAJared HuffmanMay 23, 2013
D-CTJoe CourtneyMay 23, 2013
D-CABarbara LeeJun 20, 2013
D-ORPeter A. DeFazioNov 18, 2013
D-PRPedro R. PierluisiNov 22, 2013
D-CAAlan S. LowenthalJan 8, 2014

Committees 4

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

ChamberCommitteeWhat it did
HouseEnergy and Commerce Committee
Referred Mar 6, 2013
Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee
Referred Mar 8, 2013
HouseAgriculture Committee
Referred Mar 6, 2013
Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Subcommittee
Referred Apr 2, 2013
HouseNatural Resources Committee
Referred Mar 6, 2013
Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular Affairs Subcommittee
Referred Mar 12, 2013
HouseWays and Means Committee
Referred Mar 6, 2013
Trade Subcommittee
Referred Mar 12, 2013

Actions 6

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Apr 2, 2013Referred to the Subcommittee on Livestock, Rural Development, and Credit.
  2. Mar 12, 2013Referred to the Subcommittee on Trade.
  3. Mar 12, 2013Referred to the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular Affairs.
  4. Mar 8, 2013Referred to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade.
  5. Mar 6, 2013Introduced in House

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

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Article I, section 8

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the page H1321.

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.

ProductTitleKindPublished
RL34124Seafood Fraud ArchivedReportAug 31, 2015
R43358Food Fraud and “Economically Motivated Adulteration” of Food and Food Ingredients ArchivedReportJan 10, 2014

Related bills 1

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

BillTitleRelationshipLatest action
S 520Safety And Fraud Enforcement for Seafood ActRelated billMar 11, 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.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. Mar 6, 2013Introduced in House

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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.