Foodborne Illness Rapid Response Act

Key Points

• This bill prevents the government from cutting staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention divisions that track food poisoning. It specifically protects teams that handle foodborne disease surveillance and outbreak responses.
• The rule kicks in after a major food poisoning outbreak that affects multiple states. For one year after such an event, the agency cannot lay off or move more than 1 percent of the staff in these specific food safety offices.
• This measure aims to make sure the country has enough experts to find the source of contaminated food and stop people from getting sick. It prevents budget cuts or reorganizations from weakening these teams when they are needed most.
• A staffing reduction is defined as any action that removes 1 percent or more of the employees in these divisions within a 60-day window. This ensures that even small, gradual cuts are blocked during the year following a public health emergency.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.