WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Food-safety reform legislation, thought to be all but dead this session, was resurrected in the U.S. Senate Sunday night, passed and sent to the House.
"This reaffirmed my faith in democracy," The Washington Post quoted Jean Halloran, director of food policy initiatives at Consumers Union, as saying following the legislation's passage by unanimous consent.
"We were getting ready for a last-ditch effort ... and they just went ahead an passed it, like they should have. ... There's some hope now that the government will do a better job of protecting people" from tainted food.
The measure had been in legislative limbo due to a technical mistake made three weeks ago and the specter of a Republican filibuster didn't bode well for its future, the Post said.
But negotiations went on through the weekend and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., worked out a deal to let the bill move forward.
Once the House approves it, President Barack Obama is expected to sign it.
The legislation would give the federal government much wider authority to set and enforce safety standards for farmers and food processors, affecting all whole and processed foods except meat, poultry and some egg products already regulated by the Agriculture Department.
Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, proclaimed it a "critical victory" that would "give Americans one of the best holiday gifts they can receive this year -- the assurance the foods they are eating are safer."
