{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://adriansmith.house.gov/media/press-releases/bipartisan-legislation-introduced-smith-safeguard-food-supply-chain-passes", "Bipartisan Legislation Introduced by Smith to Safeguard Food Supply Chain Passes House", "2024-12-19", "2024", "2024-12", "Republican", "House", "NE", "Adrian Smith", "S001172", "adriansmith.house.gov", "adriansmith", "https://adriansmith.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Yesterday, Congressmen Adrian Smith (R-NE), Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-GA), Drew Ferguson (R-GA), and Dan Kildee (D-MI), led U.S. House approval of S.759, the Beagle Brigade Act by an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 381-20. The bill passed the U.S. Senate by unanimous consent in November 2024. Having passed both chambers, the bill now heads to the President\u2019s desk to be signed into law.\n\nIn May 2023, Reps. Smith, Bishop, Ferguson, and Kildee introduced the House companion bill, H.R. 1480, which was approved by the U.S. House Agriculture Committee by a unanimous vote. S. 759 was introduced by Sens. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Raphael Warnock (D-GA).\n\nThe bill will permanently authorize the National Detector Dog Training Center, located in Newnan, Georgia. The Center extensively trains detector dogs\u2014mostly beagles\u2014and their U.S. Customs and Border Protection handlers to sniff out prohibited agricultural items that could carry foreign plant or animal pests and diseases into our country. Dogs are selected from animal shelters, rescue groups, and private owners. Those that retire from the program or do not complete training are offered for adoption.\n\n\u201cProtecting American consumers and our agriculture industry from foreign threats to food safety before they enter our food supply is a critical task,\u201d said Rep. Smith. \u201cOur hardworking farmers and ranchers are tirelessly vigilant to safeguard their stock from contaminants, and the passage of this bill will augment Customs and Border Protection efforts to effectively identify and stop foreign pests and diseases before they can enter our food supply chain. I thank Reps. Bishop, Ferguson, and Kildee for their collaboration on this bipartisan bill, and I encourage President Biden to sign it into law.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe U.S. agriculture sector is a $1 trillion industry constantly under the threat of foreign pests and diseases\u2026 that could be introduced through our nation\u2019s ports of entry, including airports, harbors, and mail and cargo facilities,\" said Rep. Bishop during floor debate. \"Some of these diseases could cost the American economy tens of billions of dollars to contain and eradicate, if they are found to be in the country. Agriculture detector dogs \u2013 known as the \u2018Beagle Brigade\u2019 \u2013 are an important tool in preventing these threats and eradicating them in the event they overcome our safeguards\u2026 An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The Brigade is well worth its value.\u201d\n\n\"The Beagle Brigade Act would permanently authorize the training center to ensure that America\u2019s food supply stays protected from potentially devastating foreign pests and diseases,\" said Rep. Ferguson during floor debate. \"The National Detector Dog Training Center in Georgia\u2019s 3rd Congressional District does important work to properly train detector dogs to sniff out prohibited agricultural items in domestic and international trade.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m pleased to see the House pass our bill, the Beagle Brigade Act, to strengthen the inspection of food imports. Michigan's farmers work hard to feed our families every day, and this bill will help to protect our local food supply,\u201d said Rep. Kildee. \u201cThis legislation will help defend American agriculture from foreign diseases that could harm our livestock and increase food prices.\u201d\n\n\u201cIowans know firsthand how important prevention and preparedness efforts are in combatting diseases like avian influenza, foot-and-mouth disease, and African swine fever. The Beagle Brigade is our first line of defense against foreign animal diseases that have the potential to devastate our farmers, producers, and food supply chain,\u201d said Sen. Ernst. \u201cThe House and Senate have done our jobs to protect our agricultural community, and the president must sign this bipartisan legislation into law immediately.\u201d\n\n\u201cEvery day, USDA\u2019s National Detector Dog Training Center in Newnan plays an essential role in keeping our food supply safe from contamination. This legislation permanently authorizes their work and will continue to strengthen our nation\u2019s agriculture industry and the well-being of our communities,\u201d said Sen. Warnock. \u201cAs a member of the Senate Agriculture committee and champion for Georgia\u2019s farmers, I am proud to have worked with my Senate and House colleagues, including Congressman Bishop, to get this bipartisan legislation over the finish line, and I urge President Biden to swiftly sign it into law.\u201d\n\nCosponsors of H.R. 1480 include: Reps. Mike Flood (R-NE), Lisa McClain (R-MI), John Moolenaar (R-MI), Deborah Ross (D-NC), Gabe Vasquez (D-NM), Wiley Nickel (D-NC), Yadira Caraveo (D-CO), Abigail Spanberger, (D-VA), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Mike Bost (R-IL), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Donald Davis (D-NC), Hillary Scholten (D-MI), Randy Feenstra (R-IA), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Angie Craig (D-MN), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), James Baird (R-IN), Eric Sorensen (D-IL), Jeff Jackson, (D-NC), Jill Tokuda (D-HI), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Shontel Brown (D-OH), David Rouzer (R-NC), Sharice Davids (D-KS), Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), Laurel Lee (R-FL), Lloyd Smucker (R-PA), John Garamendi (D-CA), Bill Huizenga, Bill (R-MI)\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://adriansmith.house.gov/media/press-releases/bipartisan-legislation-introduced-smith-safeguard-food-supply-chain-passes"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.629496993497014, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}