>>>>italics: This is urgent if you care about limiting efforts to not
limit GMO labeling, a vital consumer protection issue. Write your 2
Senators as soon as you have read this....


I'm writing to ask you to oppose the Roberts-Stabenow compromise language
on the GMO labeling bill. This legislation would overrule Vermont's GMO
labeling law, and prevent states from passing similar laws.

This legislation would create a confusing, misleading and unenforceable
national standard for labeling GMOs. Instead of a uniform labeling
standard like Vermont's law, the language allows text, symbols, or an
electronic code to be used. This is intentionally confusing to consumers,
and the information may be entirely inaccessible if the consumer does not
have access to the internet.

Perhaps most shockingly, this bill imposes no penalties whatsoever for
violating the labeling requirement, making the law essentially
meaningless. Thus, this is a weak bill, full of loopholes, without any
requirement to comply.

The overwhelming majority of Americans favor GMO labeling. People have a
right to know what is in the food they eat. The Senate shouldn't stop
states from passing laws that let that happen. Please oppose the
Roberts-Stabenow GMO labeling bill.

>>>>italics: From Stephen Fox, who posted this article:

My additional comment, which went along with this letter to my two New
Mexico US Senators, Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich:

You know this is the wrong thing to do at this time, and I am counting on
you, as usual, to do the right thing, and vote against this monstrous
usurpation of consumer protection. This is a watershed bill, Senator, and
if it passes, it opens up the gates to the further complete take-over by
massive corporate interests like Monsanto.

>>>>

More from Bernie Sanders on this subject:

The corporate interests are at it again. Monsanto, agribusiness and the
bio-tech industry have spent hundreds of millions of dollars trying to
overturn legislation passed by Vermont, Connecticut, Maine and Alaska that
calls for the labeling of GMO food. In fact, they are moving aggressively
now because Vermont's strong law goes into effect today.
This legislation is important because people have a right to know what is
in the food they and their children eat. The more information we have, the
better consumers we become. This is not a radical idea. It is why over 60
countries around the world have passed GMO labeling laws.

Unfortunately, the major agribusiness and bio-tech companies disagree.
They do not believe people have a right to know what's in the food they
eat. That is why they have spent hundreds of millions of dollars in
lobbying and campaign contributions to overturn the GMO right-to-know
legislation that states have already passed and that many other states are
on the verge of passing.

A bill in the Senate would overrule Vermont's law, and prevent states from
passing similar laws. This bill, introduced by Senators Pat Roberts (R-KS)
and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) will be coming up for a vote on Wednesday or
Thursday of next week. It must be defeated.

Their goal is to deny states the right to go forward in this area and to
pass legislation that is useless and with no value to consumers. And, if
we don't stop them, they may just succeed.

On Thursday evening, with no hearings and no debate, a corporate-backed
bill was introduced on to the floor by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

This legislation would create a confusing, misleading and unenforceable
national standard for labeling GMOs. Instead of a uniform labeling
standard like Vermont's law, the language allows text, symbols, or an
electronic code to be used. This is intentionally confusing to consumers,
and the information may be entirely inaccessible if the consumer does not
have access to the internet.

Perhaps most shockingly, this bill imposes no penalties whatsoever for
violating the labeling requirement, making the law essentially
meaningless. Thus, this is a weak bill, full of loopholes, without any
requirement to comply.

The issue of labeling our food isn't controversial. The overwhelming
majority of Americans favor GMO labeling. People have a right to know what
is in the food they eat. The Senate shouldn't stop states from passing
laws that let that happen.

Congress must stand up to the demands of Monsanto and other multi-national
food industry corporations and reject this outrageous, weak, and confusing
bill. I will continue to do my best to defeat it, and take the necessary
action to protect Vermont's GMO labeling efforts. But I need you with me
in order to ensure its defeat.