Senate Approves Food Safety Bill

Capping off a productive weekend, the Senate passed a food safety bill by unanimous consent on Sunday night—approving the legislation in a brisk, surprise move that caught some staffers by surprise. The bill, which would give new powers to the FDA to prevent contamination in food products, had already been passed by the Senate several weeks ago, but a parliamentary snafu invalidated the vote. “Our food safety system has not been updated in almost a century,” said Majority Leader Harry Reid, who vowed to again send the completed bill back to the House for final approval—this time with the correct language. "This is a common-sense issue with broad bipartisan support.”