Democrats Confident Food Safety Bill Will Be Resolved Despite Procedural Error; Child Nutrition Bill Set For House Vote
The Hill's Healthwatch Blog: "Senate Democrats say an error in the food-safety bill passed Tuesday can be resolved in time to send the legislation to President Obama by the end of the year. Two senior leadership aides confirmed that the bill the Senate approved, 73-25, inadvertently contained tax provisions that, under the Constitution, must originate in the House of Representatives. That means the bill must be passed a second time by the Senate, giving critics such as Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) another chance to block it" (Rushing and Lillis, 12/1).Politico: "Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) remains optimistic that a procedural error wouldn't derail the food-safety bill that cleared the Senate on Tuesday, saying 'nothing is going to kill this bill.'" Harkin "said Wednesday he spoke with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) about a plan to first pass the bill in the House, then send it back to the Senate by week's end" (Wong, 12/1).
The Washington Post: Meanwhile, The Healthy, Hunger-free Kids Act, a bill designed to expand and improve child lunch programs "is set to get an up-or-down vote on the House floor Thursday, after delays prompted by opposition from lawmakers on both ends of the political spectrum. It passed the Senate unanimously in August, but stalled in the House, with many Democrats concerned that the $4.5 billion expansion would be funded in part but cutting back the federal food stamp program" (Henderson, 12/2).
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