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A House-backed bill to keep states from issuing mandatory labeling laws for foods that contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is headed for the Senate, but opponents say they aren’t too concerned.
Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) is planning to introduce the bill if he can get a Democratic co-sponsor and enough support in the Senate to move it through the upper chamber.
“It has to be bipartisan and it has to get enough votes to pass,” his press secretary Don Canton told The Hill on Monday. “All those circumstances have to be there to introduce it.”
The legislation would be a companion bill to the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act that passed the House in July to create a federal standard for the voluntary labeling of foods with GMO ingredients.
“They’ve been trying to recruit a Democratic sponsor for quite some time,” said Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) “I’m not aware they have one yet.”
DeFazio, who has come out strongly against the proposal, said the bill is poorly drafted and will keep states from protecting conventional and organic agriculture from being contaminated by neighboring GMO crops.
Pompeo,who authored the House version of the bill views having a celebrity such as Gwyneth Paltrow (who spoke against his bill) to contend with as a sign he’s winning.
“They have given up trying to convince people they are right by using logic and science and moved to bring in a celebrity,” he said of his opponents.
With Pope Francis on his way into town and Congress working to avoid a government shutdown, it is unlikely that Hoeven will introduce a Senate bill this month.
Read full, original post: GMO food fight heads to Senate
