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S. 4974 · 119th CongressStatus not classified

Making America's Food Safer Act

Latest action. Held at the desk. · October 5, 2026

Live record from Congress.gov, updated as the official record changes.
What this bill would do
Official summary · Congressional Research Service

Making America's Food Safer Act

This bill expands the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) authority to require the destruction of unsafe imported foods, share food safety information, and make use of food facility audit information.

Specifically, the bill authorizes the FDA to order the destruction, without the opportunity for export, of any item that (1) is refused import into the United States; (2) violates federal law regulating food, drugs, medical devices, cosmetics, and tobacco products; and (3) presents a significant public health concern. Before issuing a destruction order, the FDA must provide an item’s owner or consignee with appropriate due process, including notice and an opportunity to appear. If an order is issued, the item’s owner or consignee must destroy it within 90 days at their own cost.

The bill also generally authorizes the FDA to share unredacted food safety information with state, local, tribal, and territorial authorities, including information related to foodborne illness tracking, recalls and outbreaks, and other topics. During a food safety incident, the FDA may disclose certain commercial information that is otherwise protected from disclosure.

Finally, the bill expands the FDA’s third-party audit system to make domestic food facilities eligible for voluntary audits. (Foreign facilities are eligible under current law.) The bill also authorizes the FDA to use audit results and related certifications to analyze risks and prioritize regulatory activities (e.g., inspections) to protect public health. (This information is currently used to determine whether specific food, or food from a specific facility, is eligible for import.)

Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Reported to Senate" stage on July 28, 2026. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.

Status
Latest action, as recorded
October 5, 2026

Held at the desk.

Civibrief does not map this action to a stage in the process. See the official record.

Where this sits in the process
Common questions
Composed from the official record
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?

The latest action on file does not map to a stage Civibrief recognizes, so the page will not name one. The record's own words are the reliable fact here.

The record's latest action, on October 5, 2026: Held at the desk.

How likely is it to become law?

Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.

In the 118th Congress (2023-24), 274 of the 16,565 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 1.7 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.

This one has no outstanding steps listed above.

Has anyone actually voted on it?

No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.

A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.

Who is behind it?

Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) introduced it on July 14, 2026, and 2 members have since signed on as cosponsors.

They come from both major parties: 1 Democrat, 1 Republican.

Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.

How long has it been in play?

It was introduced on July 14, 2026, 104 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 21 days ago, on October 5, 2026.

Measures do not carry over. Anything the 119th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2027 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.

Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.

Vote history

  1. Senate
    Held at the desk.
  2. House
    Not stated in the latest action
  3. President
    Not stated in the latest action
No recorded votes yet
No roll call in this Congress cites this bill. Most bills die in committee without ever reaching a recorded floor vote.