Spinach Research and Recovery Act of 2007

Spinach Research and Recovery Act of 2007 - Authorizes additional FY2008 appropriations for conducting and supporting applied research to enhance the safety of perishable agricultural commodities for consumers for: (1) the Agricultural Research Service: (2) the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service; and (3) the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to make payments (not to exceed 75% of the value of the unmarketed spinach crop) to growers and first handlers of fresh spinach that were unable to market spinach crops as a result of the Food and Drug Administration Public Health Advisory issued on September 14, 2006.

[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 912 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 912

    To provide additional funds for food safety research related to 
  perishable agricultural commodities, to provide emergency financial 
assistance to producers and first handlers of fresh spinach for losses 
   incurred as a result of the removal of fresh spinach and products 
 containing fresh spinach from the market and other actions undertaken 
in response to a public health advisory regarding spinach issued by the 
Food and Drug Administration in September 2006, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 8, 2007

 Mr. Farr (for himself, Mr. Baca, Mr. Cardoza, Mr. Costa, Mr. Filner, 
    Mr. Gilchrest, Ms. Zoe Lofgren of California, and Mr. Salazar) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                              Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To provide additional funds for food safety research related to 
  perishable agricultural commodities, to provide emergency financial 
assistance to producers and first handlers of fresh spinach for losses 
   incurred as a result of the removal of fresh spinach and products 
 containing fresh spinach from the market and other actions undertaken 
in response to a public health advisory regarding spinach issued by the 
Food and Drug Administration in September 2006, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Spinach Research and Recovery Act of 
2007''.

SEC. 2. ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR FOOD SAFETY RESEARCH REGARDING PERISHABLE 
              AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES.

    (a) In General.--For the purpose of conducting and supporting 
applied research to enhance the safety of perishable agricultural 
commodities for consumers:
            (1) For the Agricultural Research Service within the 
        Department of Agriculture for such research within the 
        jurisdiction and particular expertise of such Service, there is 
        authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2008, 
        in addition to other authorizations of appropriations available 
        to such Service for such purpose, to remain available until 
        expended.
            (2) For the Cooperative State Research, Education, and 
        Extension Service within the Department of Agriculture for such 
        research within the jurisdiction and particular expertise of 
        such Service, there is authorized to be appropriated 
        $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2008, in addition to other 
        authorizations of appropriations available to such Service for 
        such purpose, to remain available until expended.
            (3) For the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition 
        within the Food and Drug Administration, Department of Health 
        and Human Services, for such research within the jurisdiction 
        and particular expertise of such Center, there is authorized to 
        be appropriated $6,500,000 for fiscal year 2008, in addition to 
        other authorizations of appropriations available to such agency 
        for such Center, to remain available until expended.
    (b) Consultation.--Programs of research under subsection (a) shall 
be conducted and supported in consultation with producers of perishable 
agricultural commodities.
    (c) Perishable Agricultural Commodity Defined.--In this section, 
the term ``perishable agricultural commodity'' has the meaning given 
that term in section 1(b) of the Perishable Agricultural Commodities 
Act, 1930 (7 U.S.C. 499a(b)).

SEC. 3. SPINACH EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE.

    The Secretary of Agriculture shall use such sums as may be 
necessary of funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation to make payments 
to growers and first handlers, as defined by the Secretary, of fresh 
spinach that were unable to market spinach crops as a result of the 
Food and Drug Administration Public Health Advisory issued on September 
14, 2006. The payment made to a grower or first handler under this 
section shall not exceed 75 percent of the value of the unmarketed 
spinach crop.
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