New GMO Law Clears Final Congressional Hurdle

The House okayed the Senate version of a federal standard for genetically modified organism food labels.

July 15, 2016

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Thursday, the House passed the Senate’s version of a new federal standard for the labeling of foods containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs). This ends more than a year of debate in Congress about how the federal government should treat GMO labeling. 

Last year the House had passed a voluntary labeling standard advanced by Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS). However, many pro-labeling advocates and their congressional allies did not believe that bill went far enough. 

Just before Vermont’s onerous new rules went into effect on July 1 of this year, the top senators on the Senate Agriculture Committee—Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)—reached a compromise on the issue, though that legislation wasn’t passed in the Senate until last Friday, July 8. 

Rather than take more time to attempt to compromise between the two measures, House leaders decided to acquiesce to the Senate bill with yesterday’s vote. The measure, which importantly preempts Vermont’s law and others that are in the works, will now be sent to the president’s desk for his signature. Once enacted, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will have two years to complete the regulatory process to write the new final rule. 

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