Senate Proceeding on Nov 17th, 2010 :: 2:28:35 to 2:34:10
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2:28:24 to 2:28:46( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: mr. chambliss: i am a cosponsor on s. 510, the bill that we voted cloture on, i was going to vote against cloture and i was going to speak after the cloture, and why is because we were up against a i want to say i regret to vote against cloture. now that cloture has been invoked we'll go to the bill rap

2:28:35 to 2:34:10( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Saxby Chambliss

2:28:47 to 2:29:08( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: hopefully make the necessary changes. fran is not the bill that's coming to the floor today. it's been changed in some material ways as late as this morning there were changes being made. and i understand that there are discussions going on right now that hey change it again. first of all, let me say the

2:29:09 to 2:29:29( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: issue of food safety is an issue that is of primary importance. we need to make sure that the food that's put in the retail stores as well as in restaurants and every other location in america is absolutely the safest, product of anybody in the world. that's always been our reputation. but there are some gaps in

2:29:30 to 2:29:50( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: that -- in that good safety inspection program in the united states today that have allowed some things to happen. we had a situation in georgia two years ago where we found salmonella in some peanut butter at a location in south georgia, a manufacturing location. and while f.d.a. had the authority to go in and make an

2:29:51 to 2:30:13( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: inspection, the way they actually inspected it was on a contract basis through the georgia department of agriculture. they didn't have the resources to do the real oversight that needed to be done, and here we had a company that had found salmonella in peanut butter with

2:30:14 to 2:30:34( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: their own inspections and their own product had been sent to their contractor and salmonella was found to be positive, but yet they didn't have to report that to f.d.a. that has been changed in this bill, and it's -- it's gaps like that that are important to see changed. what is a problem to me right

2:30:35 to 2:30:56( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: now are a number of things, not the least of which is the definition of what is a small farmer which now small farmers have been granted an exemption, and that provision was changed as recently as this morning. i understand it is up for discussion again now. but the definition currently in the bill is that a small farmer

2:30:57 to 2:31:18( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: is determined to be a farmer with gross receipts smaller than $500,000. well, unfortunately or fortunately, in my part of the world, cotton today is selling at $1.50 a bale -- $1.50 a pound. a bale is 500 pounds.

2:31:19 to 2:31:39( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: it doesn't take much to reach $500,000 in gross receipts just in the sale of cotton, and that doesn't count peanuts and wheat and corn and whatever else may go along with it. trying to put an arbitrary number low-income that and -- like that and saying you have gross receipts and a number like that, f.d.a. has the authority to come on your farm. if you have less than that, they

2:31:40 to 2:32:00( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: don't have the authority, i think that's not the proper way to go. secondly with respect to that issue, even if they are exempt as a small farmer, they still have a mandate of a huge amount of paperwork that has to go along with their production on an annual basis. so i -- i don't know what's

2:32:01 to 2:32:22( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: going to happen with respect to the amendment process. we've heard that there may be a filling of the tree and there will be no amendments. i hope that's not the case. i hope that we have the opportunity to have an unlimited amount of amendments and that we can get the bill corrected and that we can make it at the end of the day a good bill that will generate a significant vote on

2:32:23 to 2:32:45( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: this floor, but we have also heard that there may be no amendments that are going to be allowed. obviously, without a definite understanding on that, i -- i had to be opposed to the bill. and let me just say that -- that one other issue that -- that concerns me is an amendment that

2:32:46 to 2:33:07( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: is -- was filed by -- by senator tester, and i know his heart is in the right place on it, but no less than about 30 national agricultural groups wrote a letter to chairman harkin as well as to ranking member enzi on monday saying they were opposed to that amendment, and if it's included in the bill,

2:33:08 to 2:33:28( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: they are going to be opposed to the bill. that again is one of these 11th hour issues that remains undecided, and i would ask unanimous consent, mr. president, that a copy of this letter be entered into the record. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. chambliss: so i hope at the

2:33:29 to 2:33:49( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: end of the day that amendments will be allowed, that we can come up with a bill that is a positive bill and that closes these gaps that we have in the food safety inspection program in this country. senator klobuchar and i have worked very hard on a provision that is included in the base bill that will improve the

2:33:50 to 2:34:10( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: inspection process and make it easier and give it more authority and more importantly more teeth to the folks that are charged with doing the inspection, and if that is the case, we can get the right amendments done, then perhaps at the end of the day, we can get a -- a true bipartisan bill passed and that we can all feel