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Food Safety Enhancement Act Of 2009

Floor Speech

By: Bob Latta
By: Bob Latta
Date: July 29, 2009
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Food Processing and Sales

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Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, section 101 of the bill requires an annual registration for a facility. The term "facility'' means any factory, warehouse or establishment, including a factory, warehouse or establishment of an importer that manufactures, processes, packs or holds foods.

The user fees under this section require registration each year starting in 2010 to be $500 and each subsequent year to be adjusted for inflation. This will affect small businesses and impose tax increases. For companies and individuals that own or operate multiple facilities, a maximum level for total fees per year is set at $175,000. These will have to be passed on to the consumer and will raise the price of food to cover the fees associated under this bill.

I encourage my colleagues to vote "no'' on this bill under suspension so that Congress may debate food safety and come to an agreement on how to protect our Nation's farmers and food facilities in order to maintain the United States as having the world's safest, most economically viable food source.

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