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S. 2609, a Bill to Amend the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to Require the Secretary of Agriculture to Establish a National Voluntary Labeling Standard for Bioengineered Foods, and for Other Purposes 1 (March 18, 2016)

handle is hein.congrec/cbo2817 and id is 1 raw text is: CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE U COST ESTIMATE March 18, 2016 S. 2609 A bill to amend the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to require the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a national voluntary labeling standard for bioengineered foods, and for other purposes As ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, on March 1, 2016 S. 2609 would establish a voluntary labeling standard for bioengineered food. The bill defines bioengineered as food containing genetic material that has been modified through certain techniques and for which the modification could not otherwise be obtained through conventional breeding or found in nature. The standard would be developed and administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The bill would require that the standard prohibit any express or implied claim concerning the safety or quality of a food product based solely on the extent to which it contains bioengineered material. S. 2609 also would prohibit any state or political subdivision from establishing any bioengineered food label that is not identical to the national standard developed by USDA and would prohibit any state or local government from requiring food labels that identify either the presence or absence of bioengineered material. Based on information from USDA regarding similar labeling programs, CBO estimates that implementing S. 2609 would cost around $1 million over the 2017-2018 period to develop and publish regulations for a voluntary label; such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds. Because S. 2609 would not affect direct spending or revenues, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. CBO estimates that enacting S. 2609 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2027. Because it would preempt state laws that regulate labels of genetically engineered or bioengineered food or seed products, S. 2609 contains intergovernmental mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA). Only three states currently have laws that would regulate food labeling on genetically engineered food products. Pending laws in Connecticut and Maine are contingent on adoption by other states, and a Vermont law would take effect on July 1, 2016. The mandate would limit the application of such state laws, but it would impose no duty on states that would result in any significant spending or a loss of revenues. Consequently, CBO estimates that the cost of the mandate,

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