Reps. Spade, Mayes, Polidori, Accavitti, Adamini, Bieda, Brown, Byrnes, Byrum, Clack, Condino, Donigan, Emmons, Espinoza, Farrah, Garfield, Gillard, Gleason, Gonzales, Green, Hansen, Kehrl, Kolb, Kathleen Law, Leland, Lemmons, III, Lemmons, Jr., Lipsey, McDowell, Meisner, Meyer, Miller, Mortimer, Murphy, Nitz, Phillips, Plakas, Sak, Sheltrown, Alma Smith, Stahl, Stewart, Tobocman, Vagnozzi, Waters, Wojno and Zelenko offered the following resolution:

            House Resolution No. 66.

            A resolution to memorialize the Congress of the United States to provide for additional food inspectors to protect the country's food supply.

            Whereas, As our nation continues to adjust its practices to safeguard our citizens from those who would do us harm, there are increasing concerns over the safety of the food coming into our country.  A recent report by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office cites a decrease in the number of inspections of imported food in the past two years; and

            Whereas, The safety of our food supply is a critical national concern.  The serious difficulties faced by individual segments of agriculture when naturally occurring diseases take hold, such as those that threatened livestock in Great Britain a few years ago, underscore the importance of taking strong measures.  The threat of an act of agroterrorism makes this task all the more formidable; and

            Whereas, The transition of imported food inspection responsibilities to the Department of Homeland Security has been mentioned as a possible factor contributing to the reduction in the number of inspections between 2002 and 2004.  Clearly, this trend must be reversed swiftly through the addition of more inspectors.  The risks are far too grave; now, therefore, be it

            Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we memorialize the Congress of the United States to provide for additional food inspectors to protect the country's food supply; and be it further

            Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and the members of the Michigan congressional delegation.