H.R. 7120 (110th): Science Free Speech Act

Introduced:
Sep 26, 2008 (110th Congress, 2007–2009)
Sponsor:
Rep. Christopher “Chris” Cannon [R-UT3]
Status:
Died (Referred to Committee)

The bill’s title was written by the bill’s sponsor. H.R. stands for House of Representatives bill.

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Status

This bill was introduced on September 26, 2008, in a previous session of Congress, but was not enacted.

Progress
Introduced Sep 26, 2008
Cosponsors
1 cosponsors (1R) (show)
Committees

House Energy and Commerce

The committee chair determines whether a bill will move past the committee stage.

Full Title

To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act concerning the distribution and citation of scientific research in connection with foods and dietary supplements, and for other purposes.

Summary

No summaries available.

Text

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Last updated Sep 26, 2008.
5 pages

Primary Source

View on THOMAS (The Library of Congress)

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Citation

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GovTrack’s Bill Summary

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Library of Congress Summary

The summary below was written by the Congressional Research Service, which is a nonpartisan division of the Library of Congress.

9/26/2008--Introduced.
Science Free Speech Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) to provide that a food or dietary supplement is not a drug solely because a claim is made regarding legitimate scientific research in accordance with this Act.
States that a food is not misbranded if its label makes a claim regarding legitimate scientific research in accordance with this Act.
Declares that the use of truthful and not misleading information on legitimate scientific research in connection with the sale or distribution of a food or dietary supplement to consumers shall not be treated as a violation under the FFDCA and shall not be deemed evidence of an intent to sell a drug.
Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services from: (1) restricting in any way the distribution of truthful and not misleading information on legitimate scientific research; or (2) prohibiting manufacturers or distributors of foods or dietary supplements from including citations to legitimate scientific research in the labeling of a food or dietary supplement, even if the citation expressly or implicitly references a disease or a disease condition.
Places the burden of proof on the Secretary in any administrative or judicial proceeding in which the Secretary contests the use of material being disseminated or cited as legitimate scientific research.
Prohibits the Secretary from prohibiting or restricting a retailer or wholesaler of any agricultural product, including fresh produce, in any way from: (1) testing any of its agricultural products for any pathogens that may potentially be transmitted to humans or potentially cause illness or disease in humans; or (2) communicating the results of such tests to the public.

House Republican Conference Summary

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No summary available.

House Democratic Caucus Summary

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The bill contains the following citations to other parts of U.S. law:

United States Code

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