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On November 30, New York Times writers Gardiner Harris and William Neuman, announced the bad news, headlining "Senate Passes Sweeping Law on Food Safety," saying:
"The bill is intended to keep unsafe foods from reaching markets and restaurants, where they can make people sick - a change from the current practice, which mainly involves cracking down after outbreaks occur."
Once again, The Times lied, displaying its support for wealth, power, and global corporate predation, endorsing S. 510 instead of exposing and condemning it. It did mention a problem, however, explaining the bill could die for lack of enough lame duck session time for House and Senate versions to be reconciled.
To solve the problem, "Top House Democrats said....that they were considering simply passing the Senate version to speed approval but that no decision had been made."
Still another problem remains, Roll Call's John Stanton saying S. 510 "violated a constitutional provision requiring that tax provisions originate in the House. By pre-empting the House's tax-writing authority," the bill was temporarily in limbo without resolution until the House passed it on December 8 in an amendment to HR 3082: Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010.
On July 10, 2009, the earlier version passed the House. On November 17, 2009, the Senate approved its own bill. Obama never signed it because (on December 10, 2009) both Houses passed HR 3288: Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010, signed by Obama on December 16.
In the lame duck session, HR 3082, including amendments, is being used as a vehicle to pass a one-year Continuing Resolution (CR) for discretionary government funding through FY 2011. Included is amendment language to resolve the tax origination problem, assuring S. 510 passes and becomes law.
On December 19, it did in new form (unanimously with no recorded vote), as an amendment to HR 2751: Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Act, passed by the House on June 9, 2009. On December 21, the House followed suit, Democrats (including Obama) as eager as Republicans to empower agribusiness at the expense of small farmers and consumers.
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