Full Text of HB0985 96th General Assembly
HB0985 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2009 and 2010 HB0985
Introduced 2/10/2009, by Rep. Deborah Mell SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: |
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Creates the Genetically Engineered Food Right To Know Act. Provides that all foods containing genetically engineered material or produced with genetically engineered material must be clearly marked with a label placed in a conspicuous place that indicates that the food contains genetically engineered material or was produced with a genetically engineered material. Provides the specific language to be included on the label. Provides that the Department of Public Health may create rules necessary for the implementation of the Act.
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| FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY | |
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A BILL FOR
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HB0985 |
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| AN ACT concerning public health.
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| Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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| represented in the General Assembly:
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| Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the | 5 |
| Genetically Engineered Food Right To Know Act. | 6 |
| Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds all of the | 7 |
| following: | 8 |
| (1) Consumers wish to know whether the food they | 9 |
| purchase and consume contains or is produced with a | 10 |
| genetically engineered material for a variety of reasons, | 11 |
| including the potential transfer of allergens into food and | 12 |
| other health risks, concerns about potential environmental | 13 |
| risks associated with the genetic engineering of crops, and | 14 |
| religiously and ethically based dietary restrictions. | 15 |
| (2) Consumers have a right to know whether the food | 16 |
| they purchase contains or was produced with genetically | 17 |
| engineered material. | 18 |
| (3) Labels voluntarily placed on foods are | 19 |
| insufficient to provide consumers with adequate | 20 |
| information concerning whether or not all of the food they | 21 |
| purchase contains or was produced with genetically | 22 |
| engineered material. | 23 |
| (4) Mandatory labeling provides a critical scientific |
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| method necessary for the continual post market | 2 |
| surveillance to study long-term health impacts and | 3 |
| enforcement of food safety laws preventing adulterated | 4 |
| foods from reaching consumers. | 5 |
| Section 10. Definitions. In this Act: | 6 |
| "Food" includes an animal grown to become food for human | 7 |
| consumption, a food product, a food ingredient, a dietary | 8 |
| supplement, or a beverage. "Food" does not include a raw | 9 |
| agricultural commodity. | 10 |
| "Genetically engineered material" means material derived | 11 |
| from any part of a genetically engineered organism, without | 12 |
| regard to whether the altered molecular or cellular | 13 |
| characteristics of the organism are detectable in the material. | 14 |
| "Genetically engineered organism" means: | 15 |
| (1) an organism that has been altered at the molecular | 16 |
| or cellular level by means that are not possible under | 17 |
| natural conditions or processes, including, but not | 18 |
| limited to, recombinant DNA and RNA techniques, cell | 19 |
| fusion, microencapsulation, macroencapsulation, gene | 20 |
| deletion and doubling, introducing a foreign gene, and | 21 |
| changing the positions of genes, other than a means | 22 |
| consisting exclusively of breeding, conjugation, | 23 |
| fermentation, hybridization, in vitro fertilization, | 24 |
| tissue culture, or mutagenesis; and | 25 |
| (2) an organism made through sexual or asexual |
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| reproduction or both involving an organism described in | 2 |
| paragraph (1) of this Section if it possesses any of the | 3 |
| altered molecular or cellular characteristics of the | 4 |
| organism. | 5 |
| "Label" means a display of written, printed, or graphic | 6 |
| matter upon an article or the immediate container, not | 7 |
| including a package liner, of an article. | 8 |
| Section 15. Label required. | 9 |
| (a) All foods containing genetically engineered material | 10 |
| or produced with genetically engineered material must be | 11 |
| clearly marked with a label placed in a conspicuous place that | 12 |
| indicates that the food contains genetically engineered | 13 |
| material or was produced with a genetically engineered | 14 |
| material. The label must contain the following language: | 15 |
| "This product contains a genetically engineered material | 16 |
| or was produced with a genetically engineered material.". | 17 |
| (b) For purposes of this Section, a food is considered to | 18 |
| have been produced with a genetically engineered material if: | 19 |
| (1) the organism from which the food is derived has | 20 |
| been injected or otherwise treated with a genetically | 21 |
| engineered material, except that the use of manure as | 22 |
| fertilizer for raw agricultural commodities may not be | 23 |
| construed to mean that such commodities are produced with a | 24 |
| genetically engineered material; | 25 |
| (2) the animal from which the food is derived has been |
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| fed genetically engineered material; or | 2 |
| (3) the food contains an ingredient that has been | 3 |
| subjected to treatment described in paragraph (1) or (2) of | 4 |
| subsection (b) of this Section. | 5 |
| Section 20. Rules. The Department of Public Health may | 6 |
| create rules necessary for the implementation of this Act.
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