Monthly Archives: May 2019

IL Legislative Session Nears End

There are just 9 days remaining in the IL 2019 Spring legislative session. Yesterday the Senate passed HB 834 41-14-0. This legislation prohibits employers from asking job applicants previous wage history and benefits in job interviews. Most troubling this legislation is designed to limit employers defenses. The IL Chamber opposes this bill. It heads back […]

No Special Session Yet In MN, Possibly On Friday

As of today, MN legislators do not have a special session scheduled, but have many more details in hand about the bills they must pass. Legislative leaders had hoped to schedule their session for today, but Gov. Walz has not yet announced when he will call lawmakers back to pass the budget measures that were […]

AG-FDA Spending Bill To Be Unveiled

According to POLITICO, the House Appropriations Committee is set to unveil its draft fiscal 2020 Agriculture-FDA measure this morning.  A subcommittee markup is set for 10 a.m. on Thursday. The measure is expected to include $24.3 billion in discretionary funds, a $1.3 billion (or 6 percent) increase from current levels. Health advocates and the Sustainable […]

Bill To Ban PFASs From Food Packaging Introduced In Congress

According to Chemical Watch, Representative Debbie Dingell (D-Michigan) has introduced a bill in the US House of Representatives to ban per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in food packaging. The “Keep Food Containers Safe from PFAS Act of 2019” (HR 2827), introduced on 17 May, would amend the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to “deem […]

MN Lawmakers Fail To Complete Business, Special Session Next

MN lawmakers were unable to complete their business when the regular session finished at midnight Monday. They accomplished little on the final day knowing that their work on a new two-year budget won’t be complete until they return for a special session. Given the amount of remaining work, when that session will take place and […]

MWFPA, MN Agriculture Groups Call For USMCA Ratification

MWFPA, and a collection of MN’s leading agribusinesses and agriculture-related trade associations, has called on Congress to ratify the United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA). The USMCA, signed by the three countries in November 2018, was crafted as a replacement and update to the 1993 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). It still must be ratified […]

MWFPA, Agriculture Groups Urge USMCA Approval

MWFPA, along with a group of 66 food and agriculture companies and trade groups, have sent a letter to congressional leadership urging them to ratify the U.S. trade deal with Canada and Mexico. The letter was signed by the American Farm Bureau Federation, Bayer, International Dairy Foods Association, Land O’Lakes and the National Cotton Council, […]

USDA Posts FAQ Regarding BE Labeling And Promises Future Guidance

According to Keller and Heckman LLP ,  the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has issued an FAQ for manufacturers concerning its bioengineered (BE) food labeling rule (formally known as the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS)). The final rule was issued in December 2018 and does not come into effect for several years, […]