Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) chair of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, and Senator Jim Risch (R-ID) are reintroducing bipartisan legislation in the Senate to combat what they say is the “unfair practice of mislabeling non-dairy products using dairy names.”
Representatives Peter Welch (D-VT) and Mike Simpson (R-ID) are introducing bipartisan companion legislation in the House per reports from Feedstuffs.
The Defending Against Imitations and Replacements of Yogurt, milk, and cheese to Promote Regular Intake of Dairy Everyday Act (DAIRY PRIDE Act) of 2021 would require non-dairy products made from nuts, seeds, plants, and algae to no longer be mislabeled with dairy terms such as milk, yogurt or cheese.
The DAIRY PRIDE Act would require the FDA to issue guidance for nationwide enforcement of mislabeled imitation dairy products within 90 days and require the FDA to report to Congress two years after enactment to hold the agency accountable for this update in their enforcement obligations. The bipartisan legislation is also cosponsored by Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Angus King (I-ME), Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Tina Smith (D-MN).
Bipartisan Group Introduces the PPP Flexibility for Farmers, Ranchers and the Self-Employed Act
A bipartisan group of senators on Tuesday introduced a bill that would provide more aid through the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program to farmers and ranchers who are in farming partnerships, reports DTN’s Progressive Farmer.
The “PPP Flexibility for Farmers, Ranchers and the Self-Employed Act” would specifically change language the Small Business Administration operates under to allow farmers in partnerships with gross income from self-employment to be eligible to use an alternative gross revenue loan calculation formula.
Farmers in these partnerships would be allowed to use gross income instead of net income from the partnership. The change would allow farmers to have their loans recalculated based on higher gross revenue.
The new definition would state that “gross revenue for members of partnerships” is effectively the person’s share of the net earnings from self-employment in the partnership.
If passed, this change would also be retroactive to the passage of the CARES Act on March 27, 2020. This would allow these farmers in partnerships to apply for PPP loans, or increase the amount of approved loans, going back to last year. Borrowers would ask SBA to recalculate the amount covered under the loan and receive a payment.
The bill was introduced by Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), who chairs the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business, as well as Sens. James Lankford (R-OK), Susan Collins (R-ME), Angus King (I-ME), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Rob Portman (R-OH), and Roger Marshall (R-KS).
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