(U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, a Montana Democrat, was co-author of the Tester-Hagan Amendment to the Food Safety Modernization Act, which exempted certain small, local producers from regulation. He sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee and also on its Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies.)
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Hamburg Tells Senate Budget Committee FSMA Funding Needed to Fill ‘Significant’ Gaps
Many questions directed at outgoing Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Margaret Hamburg during a Senate budget hearing on Thursday concerned funding for the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and details of the law’s rules. The agency’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2016 asks for a total of $1.5 billion
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Montana's Jon Tester Puts Some Meat on His Plate
To his potatoes, Jon Tester has added some meat. The junior senator from Montana chose to share his thoughts on most of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s current meat and poultry agenda in a letter released on the eve of the announcement that the under secretary for food safety is
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Tester: Small Farms Won with Food Safety Exemption
Senator Jon Tester (D-MT), the only farmer serving in the upper chamber, touted his work on the recently enacted food safety law before a sustainable food audience in Washington, D.C. Wednesday.
“The thing about food policy is if you eat, it affects you,” said Tester in his remarks, which largely
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Q&A: Why the Produce Industry Opposes Tester
As part of our ongoing expert Q&A series, a conversation with Bob Whitaker, the Produce Marketing Association’s Chief Science Officer:
After working with Congress to get comprehensive food safety legislation in the pipeline, the Produce Marketing Association joined 19 other big produce interest groups last week to oppose S.510, a
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Tester Offers Hope on S. 510, Help for Small Farms
Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) says he expects the Senate to approve his amendment aimed at lessening the impact of the pending food safety bill on small-scale food producers. While the fate and immediate timeline for the legislation remains highly uncertain, Tester’s office released an updated version of his amendment late
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DeLauro E. coli Bill Draws from Tester Bill
When you copy somebody else’s work, it is called plagiarism. One
exception to that rule, however, is when one Congressman or Senator
takes language from a colleague’s bill and inserts it into one of his or
her own. Then it’s called one of the highest forms of flattery.
If so
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What’s Wrong with the Tester Amendments
On April 14, 2010, Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) announced that he is introducing two amendments to the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, S. 510. The aim of the amendments is to ease the burden that small farmers believe the bill will impose on them if passed. The amendments, if adopted,
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Tester Amendment Picks Up Cosponsor
Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) has picked up a key supporter for his amendments intended to ease the impact of the pending food safety legislation on small farms. Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC) announced late last week she will cosponsor Tester’s amendments to “protect small, local food producers from unnecessary and burdensome
Public Health Opposition to Tester Amendment
The Montana Public Health Association sent Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) a letter last week urging him to reconsider his amendments to the pending food safety bill. Earlier this month, Tester proposed two amendments that would exempt small farms from certain aspects of the legislation, which was written to increase the
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