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Press Releases |
For Immediate Release
04/24/08
Contact: |
Rob Blumenthal w/Inouye 202-224-8374
Jenilee Keefe w/Inouye 202-224-7824
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Commerce Committee Reports Inouye-Stevens Commercial Seafood Protection Act
Measure Creates Better System for Importing Safe Seafood |
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee unanimously reported today S. 2688, the Commercial Seafood Consumer Protection Act. The bill, introduced by Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) and Vice Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) would establish a federal program to ensure that seafood distributed commercially in the United States is fit for consumption.
“Seafood safety is important to all Americans, but particularly important to the citizens of Hawaii,” said Senator Inouye. “As we saw from the recent recall of 11,000 pounds of frozen Indonesian ahi tuna on Oahu due to a salmonella outbreak, the current system is working but must be strengthened to ensure that contaminated seafood is intercepted before ever reaching consumers.”
Senator Inouye continued, “A loss of confidence in the quality of the fish and shellfish we consume in Hawaii and across this nation would be devastating to many industries. It is essential that Americans have faith in the safety and quality of the seafood they consume.”
As reported by the Senate, the Commercial Seafood Consumer Protection Act would:
- Require the Secretaries of Commerce and of Health and Human Services to enter into an agreement to create an infrastructure that would provide a better system for importing safe seafood. This agreement would include provisions on how to:
Examine and test imported seafood
Inspect foreign facilities
Provide technical assistance and training to foreign facilities and governments
Expedite seafood imports from countries with consistently high standards
Generate a shipment tracking system
Create labeling requirements
Commission National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) officers and employees to examine seafood
Share information concerning non-compliance and new regulations
Conduct joint training on subjects related to seafood inspection
- Increase the number of laboratories certified to the Food and Drug Administration’s standards to analyze seafood both in the United States and in foreign nations that export seafood to the United States.
- Increase the number and/or capacity of NOAA laboratories that are involved with the National Marine Fisheries Service Seafood Inspection Program.
- Set up a procedure for dealing with cases where contaminated shipments are found entering the United States. It would allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to refuse imported seafood unlikely to meet federal standards and/or request increased testing of seafood originating from countries where there is reasonable evidence of contamination. Individual shipments would be allowed into the United States if there was laboratory evidence that the shipment meets the requirements of federal law.
- Authorize the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of Health and Human Services to send inspectors overseas to assess the methods used by seafood exporters to ensure they are compatible with federal law.
- Authorize $15,000,000 in funding for each fiscal year from 2009 through 2013 to implement the provisions of this Act.
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18th - |
Senator Hutchison Calls for Improved Bus Safety Standards
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Ranking Member on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today called for improved safety of over-the-road buses and enhanced National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations governing bus safety during a Senate Surface Transportation Subco...
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18th - |
Commerce Committee Announces Witnesses for DTV Transition Hearing
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announces the witnesses for the Full Committee hearing on Oversight of the DTV Transition: Countdown to February 2009, scheduled for Tuesday, September 23, 2008, at 2:30 p.m. The full witness list is below.
With February 17, 2009 less than five months away, the Committee will assess the Federal Communication...
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18th - |
Commerce Committee Announces Witnesses for U.S.-Korea Automobile Trade Imbalance Hearing
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announces the witnesses for the upcoming Interstate Commerce, Trade, and Tourism Subcommittee hearing on The Imbalance in U.S.-Korea Automobile Trade, scheduled for September 24, 2008, at 10:00 a.m. A full witness list is below.
The hearing will examine the reasons for the imbalance in U.S.-Korea bilateral ...
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17th - |
Commerce Committee to Examine Consumer Privacy Issues Related to Broadband Service Providers
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation announces a Full Committee hearing on Broadband Providers and Consumer Privacy, scheduled for Thursday, September 25, 2008, at 10:00 a.m.
The Committee will examine broadband provider practices with respect to consumer privacy.
Broadband Providers and Consumer PrivacyFull CommitteeDate: Thursday, Septemb...
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16th - |
Senator Hutchison Commends Dept. of Commerce for Helping Nursing Homes with DTV Converter Box Program
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) today commended the U.S. Department of Commerce and Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez for allowing residents with post office boxes and those living in nursing homes to participate in the digital television (DTV) converter box coupon program. Previously, only residents with physical addresses could participate. This meant that those who ...
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16th - |
Inouye Calls for Immediate Passage of S.1492, the Broadband Data Improvement Act
- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) delivered the following statement at today’s hearing on why broadband matters.
“In our hearing today we explore why broadband matters. Broadband matters because broadband communications have become the great economic engine of our time. Broadband deployment drives opportunities for business, education, ...
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16th - |
Commerce Committee Announces Witnesses for Bus Safety Hearing
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12th - |
Commerce Committee to Hear Testimony from Corporation for Public Broadcasting Nominees
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12th - |
Commerce Committee to Review Progress of DTV Transition with FCC, NTIA
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12th - |
Commerce Committee Announces Witnesses for Hearing on Consumer Benefits of Broadband
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11th - |
Commerce Committee Releases MARAD Bill Financial Disclosure Certification
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation today filed its report on S. 2997, the Maritime Administration Act for Fiscal Year 2009. In accordance with Senate Rule XLIV, the Committee provides the attached financial disclosure certification.
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11th - |
Commerce Committee Cancels Hearing to Examine Marine Protected Areas
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10th - |
Senator Hutchison Cosponsors Calling Card Legislation to Help Consumers
- WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Ranking Member on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today signed on as a cosponsor to legislation that would assist consumers with pre-paid calling cards and ensure that fees and terms are easier to understand. The bill, S. 2998, would require pre-paid calling card providers and distributors to disclose the numbe...
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9th - |
Commerce Committee to Hold Hearing on Consumer Benefits of Broadband
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8th - |
Commerce Committee to Examine Marine Protected Areas
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8th - |
Commerce Committee Announces Witnesses for Prepaid Calling Card Hearing
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