S-1974.2                   _______________________________________________

                                   SUBSTITUTE SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 8016

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State of Washington                              53rd Legislature                             1993 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Agriculture (originally sponsored by Senators M. Rasmussen, Spanel, Haugen, Prince, Loveland, Barr, Erwin, McDonald, Roach, Bauer, Drew, Gaspard, Skratek, McAuliffe, Sheldon, Prentice, Fraser, Rinehart, Deccio, Jesernig, Winsley, Pelz, McCaslin, Sellar, von Reichbauer, Vognild, Moyer, A. Smith, West, Franklin, Wojahn, Hochstatter, Quigley, Anderson, Amondson and Oke)

Read first time 02/26/93.

Requesting investigation and reporting on the E. Coli outbreak.

          TO THE HONORABLE BILL CLINTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED, AND TO THE SECRETARY OF THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, AND TO THE FEDERAL FOOD SAFETY INSPECTION SERVICE, AND TO THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION, AND TO THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION:

          We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

          WHEREAS, A great public health alarm has been caused in Washington state with over four hundred fifty people confirmed as having contracted Escherichia Coli 0157:H7 since early December of 1992; and

          WHEREAS, E. Coli 0157:H7 has caused the death of three children, over one hundred fifty people have been hospitalized as of February 20, 1993, and thirty children have suffered hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious side effect that causes kidney dysfunction and affects the blood clotting system; and

          WHEREAS, People have contracted the infection by eating insufficiently cooked hamburger that had this particular strain of E. Coli bacteria which contaminated the meat during or after the time of slaughter; and

          WHEREAS, The extent that this newly detected strain of highly toxic bacteria is causing infections elsewhere in the United States is not accurately known because most other states have not designated E. Coli 0157:H7 as a reportable disease; and

          WHEREAS, Though citizens of the United States have enjoyed the safest food supply in the world, this outbreak has eroded confidence in food safety in general and meat inspection in particular, and unless the problem is fully addressed, additional outbreaks are likely to occur;

          NOW, THEREFORE, Your memorialists respectfully pray that the appropriate federal agencies, including, but not limited to, the Federal Food Safety Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Food and Drug Administration form a task force to:  (1) Promptly and fully investigate and monitor outbreaks of E. Coli 0157:H7 throughout the United States in cooperation with state and local governments; (2) examine the full food chain process from farm to table to determine how improvements may be made to better guarantee the safety of our food supply; (3) examine whether meat and meat products imported into this county comply with comparable inspection and health standards as does domestically processed meat; (4) designate E. Coli 0157:H7 as a reportable disease throughout the nation; and (5) start the process needed to update the Food and Drug Administration Model Food Code to reflect the new knowledge and technology that impact food safety.

          BE IT RESOLVED, That the Federal Food Safety Inspection Service is requested to provide a written report to the Washington state legislature in January 1994 of the changes and improvements that have been accomplished to address this public health issue; and

          BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Bill Clinton, President of the United States, Mike Espy, Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture, the Federal Food Safety Inspection Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.

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