Us Congress 2025-2026 Regular Session

Us Congress Senate Bill SB376

Introduced
2/3/25  

Caption

Expanded Food Safety Investigation Act of 2025This bill provides that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may, under specified circumstances, request access to a concentrated animal-feeding operation (i.e., a stabled or confined animal-feeding operation of a specified size) to conduct microbial sampling.Specifically, the bill allows the FDA to request access if the FDA determines that sampling is necessary to facilitate an investigation of a foodborne-illness outbreak, determine the cause of an outbreak, or address other public health needs. Concentrated animal-feeding operations must provide reasonable access for sampling, including sampling of plants, animals, water, and the environment. The bill imposes penalties on operations that refuse to provide reasonable access. Data collected in sampling efforts under this bill must be shared with the Department of Agriculture and state and federal public health agencies to facilitate the detection, investigation, and prevention of foodborne illness.

Impact

The passage of SB376 would specifically amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to include provisions allowing the Secretary of Health and Human Services to request reasonable access to CAFOs for microbial sampling purposes. This access is critical during foodborne illness investigations and reflects a proactive approach to prevent potential outbreaks. Additionally, the collected data would be shared with other relevant public health authorities, which could enhance collective efforts in safeguarding food safety and public health across state and federal levels.

Summary

SB376, known as the Expanded Food Safety Investigation Act of 2025, aims to enhance the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) authority to conduct microbial sampling on concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). This measure is designed to facilitate investigations into foodborne illness outbreaks, identify their root causes, and address other essential public health needs. By granting the FDA this authority, the bill seeks to improve monitoring and response mechanisms related to food safety, particularly in large-scale livestock operations where contamination risks can pose significant public health threats.

Contention

While proponents of the bill argue that increased oversight over CAFOs is essential for public health, there may be concerns from stakeholders within the agricultural sector regarding regulatory overreach. Some farmers may resist the idea of the federal government having greater access to their operations, fearing that it could impose additional burdens or restrictions. Furthermore, there may be a debate over the definition of 'reasonable access' and what constitutes appropriate conditions for sampling, which could lead to tensions between regulatory agencies and agricultural operators.

Congress_id

119-S-376

Policy_area

Health

Introduced_date

2025-02-03

Companion Bills

US HB852

Identical bill Expanded Food Safety Investigation Act of 2025This bill provides that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may, under specified circumstances, request access to a concentrated animal-feeding operation (i.e., a stabled or confined animal-feeding operation of a specified size) to conduct microbial sampling.Specifically, the bill allows the FDA to request access if the FDA determines that sampling is necessary to facilitate an investigation of a foodborne-illness outbreak, determine the cause of an outbreak, or address other public health needs. Concentrated animal-feeding operations must provide reasonable access for sampling, including sampling of plants, animals, water, and the environment. The bill imposes penalties on operations that refuse to provide reasonable access. Data collected in sampling efforts under this bill must be shared with the Department of Agriculture and state and federal public health agencies to facilitate the detection, investigation, and prevention of foodborne illness.

Previously Filed As

US SB2782

Expanded Food Safety Investigation Act of 2023

US HB4110

Expanded Food Safety Investigation Act of 2023

US HB1543

To direct the Secretary of Labor to ensure that the database relating to investigations under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 is language accessible, and for other purposes.

US HB520

To amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to provide that artificially propagated animals shall be treated the same under that Act as naturally propagated animals, and for other purposes.

US HB10406

To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to authorize requiring the manufacturers of a covered device to disclose to a patient all patient-specific data that is recorded or transmitted by the device and accessible to the manufacturer, and for other purposes.

US HB133

Mandating Exclusive Review of Individual Treatments (MERIT) Act This bill specifies that coverage determinations for drugs and biologics under Medicare must be made with respect to each drug or biologic, rather than with respect to a class of drugs or biologics.

US HB427

Support And Value Expectant Moms and Babies Act of 2023 or the SAVE Moms and Babies Act of 2023 This bill prohibits the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from approving any new drug (either as a brand-name drug or a generic) intended to terminate a pregnancy and imposes additional restrictions on such drugs that are already approved. Under the bill, an already-approved drug intended to terminate a pregnancy may be dispensed to a patient only with a prescription. Furthermore, the FDA may not approve any labeling change that would authorize (1) using the drug after 70 days of gestation, or (2) dispensing the drug by any means other than in-person administration by the prescribing health care practitioner. The FDA must also impose additional restrictions on such already-approved drugs, including by (1) requiring the prescribing health care practitioner to receive a special certification, (2) prohibiting the practitioner from also acting as the dispensing pharmacist, and (3) requiring the practitioner to have the ability to provide surgical intervention to the patient. The bill also rescinds any investigational use exemption already granted to such a drug if the bill would have prohibited the FDA from granting the exemption. (Currently, the FDA may grant an exemption to certain market approval requirements if a drug is intended solely for use in safety and effectiveness investigations.)

US SB5517

A bill to provide for the establishment, within the Food and Drug Administration, of an Abraham Accords Office to promote and facilitate cooperation between the Food and Drug Administration and entities in Abraham Accords countries wishing to work with the agency in order to develop and sell products in the United States, and for other purposes.

US SB5567

A bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a study to assess the unintended impacts on the health and safety of people engaged in transactional sex, in connection with the enactment of the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017 and the loss of interactive computer services that host information related to sexual exchange, to direct the Attorney General to submit a report on human trafficking investigations and prosecutions in connection with the same, and for other purposes.

US HB77

This bill establishes which state law governs health insurers offering coverage in multiple states. Specifically, the bill provides that the laws of a state designated by a health insurer (primary state) apply to individual health insurance coverage offered by that insurer in any other state (secondary state) if the coverage, states, and insurer comply with the conditions of this bill. Insurers are exempted from any secondary state's laws that would prohibit or regulate the operation of the insurer in that state. The primary state is given sole jurisdiction to enforce its covered laws in any secondary state. The Government Accountability Office must study the effect of this bill on specified health insurance issues.

Similar Bills

No similar bills found.