Legislation to overhaul the nation's oversight of food safety passed the Senate this morning by a vote of 73 to 25. The bill greatly increases the FDA's authority over food producers.
Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill (D) voted in favor of the bill; retiring Senator Kit Bond (R) abstained. Both Illinois senators, Richard Durbin (D) and Mark Kirk (R), voted yes.
As the New York Times notes, final passage is not a done deal:
Despite unusual bipartisan support on Capitol Hill and a strong push from the Obama administration, the bill could still die because there might not be enough time for the usual haggling between the Senate and House of Representatives, which passed its own version last year. Top House Democrats said that they would consider simply passing the Senate version to speed approval.
