The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on a controversial bill that would repeal mandatory GMO labeling laws in several states and preempt such legislation at the local level on Thursday.
The House Rules Committee amended the bill Tuesday to clarify that it would not repeal or preempt GMO crop bans, such as the one that just took effect in Oregon's Jackson County, or affect rules around pesticides or other GMO-related issues.
But opponents say it's still too ambiguous.
"Either by design or by accident, the version that was voted on by the agriculture committee last week clearly blocks state, county and local rules that are primarily designed to deal with some of the economic issues between GMO and non-GMO farmers," Scott Faber, senior vice president of government affairs at the Environmental Working Group, said Wednesday.
"The version that will be on the floor tomorrow attempts to narrow the scope of that provision, but lawyers disagree whether that amended version will be successful," Faber said.
Oregon's House members are divided on the bill.
It's backed by Republican Greg Walden and Democrat Kurt Schrader, who is the bill's co-sponsor. "Right now, there is no national definition for what a GMO is and consumers are lost in marketplaces with so many options," Schrader said in a statement. "Study after study has shown GMOs to be safe and healthy."
