December 20, 2010 06:39 PM UTC

Bennet's Food Safety Act Approved

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• by: Colorado Pols

In addition to the repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell policy,” another lame-duck priority with local ties passed this weekend: the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, a bill that Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado has spent a lot of time on–our friends at the Washington Post report:

A bill that would overhaul the nation’s food-safety laws for the first time since the Great Depression came roaring back to life Sunday as Senate Democrats struck a deal with Republicans that helped overcome a technical mistake made three weeks ago and a filibuster threat that seemed likely to scuttle the legislation.

After a weekend of negotiations, tense strategy sessions and several premature predictions about the bill’s demise, Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) reached a deal with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) that the GOP would not filibuster.

Without notice and in a matter of minutes Sunday evening, the Senate approved the bill by unanimous consent, sending it to the House, where passage is expected. President Obama has said he would sign the legislation, which would give the government far-reaching authority to set and enforce safety standards for farmers and food processors.

Sen. Bennet released a statement on this legislation when it originally passed earlier this month:

As the father of three little girls, I want to ensure the food we put on our tables is safe for our kids to eat. Recent major food recalls, including the egg recall, highlight the need for this long overdue legislation to give Colorado parents some peace of mind knowing the food they put on their tables doesn’t put their families in harm’s way. After nearly a year of needless delays, we have finally moved forward on this bipartisan bill that will protect Colorado consumers and finally bring food safety in this country into the 21st century.

Colorado-based “Tea Party” organization Hear Us Now has a, um, dissenting view on food safety:

This Act (both Act itself and the act of voting for it) are an assault on freedom.

Apparently, that’s not a view that even most Republicans share: the bill passed the Senate originally on a vote of 73-25, and the vote to pass the slightly revised version yesterday was by unanimous consent. In fact, we’re not even sure what they mean here. Whose freedom? “Freedom” to sell contaminated food? For oppressed E.coli yearning to be free?

Of course it’s ridiculous, but that’s consistent with before the election–did you not notice then?

Evidently, a number of you did not.