Deborah Ross (D-NC)
Federal and State Food Safety Information Sharing Act of 2026
A Democratic bill with 1 Republican cosponsor · See all 8 cosponsors
Last activity — Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill, titled the "Federal and State Food Safety Information Sharing Act of 2026," aims to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. It authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to share unredacted food safety information with specific State, local, Tribal, and Territorial authorities. This information includes data on foodborne illnesses, laboratory testing, inspections, recall distribution lists, and consumer complaints. The bill also updates the duration of certain grants related to food safety.
Yes· 3 of 4
- Scored +3
Does this make health care easier to get in general?
The bill enhances public health protection by allowing the rapid sharing of unredacted food safety information with local authorities.
- Scored +2
Does this make the country readier for the next outbreak?
By improving the flow of foodborne illness surveillance and inspection data, the bill enhances the capacity to respond to public health threats.
- Scored +2
Would people in cities be better off under this?
Improved food safety monitoring benefits all residents, including those in urban environments, through faster outbreak containment.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Enhanced Public Health Protection: The Secretary is authorized to share unredacted information such as foodborne illness surveillance data, laboratory sampling, inspection results, recall distribution lists, and consumer complaints with authorities that have public health functions (Section 2(a)(1)). This is intended to assist these authorities in protecting the public (Section 2(a)(1)).
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Rapid Information Sharing: The Secretary may share this information as soon as it is reasonably practicable, which can assist authorities in protecting the public (Section 2(a)(2)).
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Extended Grant Durations: The bill changes the duration of certain food safety grants from 3 years to 5 years (Section 3(a)(1)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Restrictions on Information Disclosure: Authorities that receive information from the Secretary are prohibited from further disclosing it without permission from the Food and Drug Administration, unless they determine it is necessary to contain an outbreak, carry out a recall, or perform other State enforcement activities (Section 2(a)(3)).
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Conditional Grant Funding: For certain grants, future funding may be made contingent on a successful program evaluation conducted by the Secretary after the first year of the grant (Section 3(a)(2)(B)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Healthcare
- Does this make health care easier to get in general? — The bill enhances public health protection by allowing the rapid sharing of unredacted food safety information with local authorities. Does this make the country readier for the next outbreak? — By improving the flow of foodborne illness surveillance and inspection data, the bill enhances the capacity to respond to public health threats.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would people in cities be better off under this? — Improved food safety monitoring benefits all residents, including those in urban environments, through faster outbreak containment.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — The bill increases the efficiency of information sharing between federal and state/local authorities regarding public safety.
- 9/8/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 7/20/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 6/23/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 6/4/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 5/13/2026
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- 4/27/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 4/22/2026
- Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in House
Kathy CastorDemocrat · Florida
Joe CourtneyDemocrat · Connecticut
Rosa DeLauroDemocrat · Connecticut
Josh GottheimerDemocrat · New Jersey
Eleanor NortonDemocrat · District of Columbia
Chellie PingreeDemocrat · Maine
Michael RulliRepublican · Ohio
Janice SchakowskyDemocrat · Illinois