On August 4, the Senate approved, 80-17, the FY2010 Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Related Agencies spending measure (H.R. 2997), after adopting, by voice vote, an amendment by Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI) to substitute the text of S. 1406; for details on S. 1406, see The Source, 7/10/09. The House approved H.R. 2997 on July 9 (see The Source, 7/10/09). The bill now goes to a House-Senate conference committee to resolve differences between the two versions.
During debate on the measure, the Senate approved, by unanimous consent, an amendment by Sen. Kohl to authorize the FDA to collect user fees as authorized by the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (P.L. 111-31, see The Source, 6/12/09).