{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://baird.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=201", "Baird, Plaskett Lead Letter to Administration Urging Progress on USDA Regulatory Clarity for Animal Biotechnology", "2021-10-07", "2021", "2021-10", "Republican", "House", "IN", "James R. Baird", "B001307", "baird.house.gov", "baird", "https://baird.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "Washington, D.C.\u2014 Today, Congressman Jim Baird (IN-04), the Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee\u2019s Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Research, and Horticulture, along with the Subcommittee\u2019s Chairwoman, Delegate Stacey Plaskett (VI-AL), led their Agriculture Committee colleagues in a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture\u2019s Secretary, Tom Vilsack and Food and Drug Administration Acting Commissioner, Janet Woodcock urging timely progress in the reform of regulatory frameworks for animal biotechnology products.\n\nThe bipartisan letter \u2013 signed by 37 members of the House Agriculture Committee, including Chairman David Scott and Ranking Member Glenn \u201cGT\u201d Thompson \u2013 calls on the agencies to continue cooperation and quickly move towards implementing a more efficient, science and risk-based regulatory system that will allow a path to market for these important innovations. The letter expresses support for steps already taken, such as USDA\u2019s publishing an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) for animal biotechnology regulations and calls for the agencies to build on these important steps in a timely manner.\n\n\u201cInnovation has been the very backbone of agriculture throughout time. In the last several decades, that innovation has begun to look different as the technology has changed, but the goal remains the same \u2013to create the safest, and most sustainable, abundant, and stable food supply in the world,\u201d said Congressman Baird. \u201cThe unfortunate reality though, is that our regulatory system has not kept up with this technology and has created a near-impossible challenge to get these products to market. USDA needs to take the lead in developing new, risk and science-based, regulatory pathways that encourage agricultural innovation, provide access to valuable new technologies to American livestock producers, and ensures food safety and security for consumers.\u201d\n\nBackground:", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:24:51Z"]], "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://baird.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=201"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7191260121762753, "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"}