OVERNIGHT REGULATION: FDA rule aims to fight super bugs

Welcome to OVERNIGHT REGULATION, your daily rundown of news from Capitol Hill and beyond. It’s Tuesday evening here in Washington. Here’s the latest:

 

THE BIG STORY

The Food and Drug Administration released a new rule Tuesday to reduce the use of antibiotics on animals people eat in hopes of stemming the development of drug-resistant bacteria.

The Veterinary Feed Directive will require farmers to administer antibiotics under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian to ensure the drugs are only being used when necessary to treat an infection in an animal. The rule will apply to drugs intended for use in animals or on animal feed.

{mosads}It is intended to stem the larger problem of drugs being used to make animals grow bigger. Critics say the overuse of antibiotic drugs in food animals is creating more deadly bacteria.

Under the final rule, veterinarians must issue feed directives in the context of a valid veterinarian-client-patient relationship (VCPR).

The guidelines of the state where the veterinarian practices will apply.

In states that lack appropriate veterinarian-client requirements, feed directives must follow a federally defined standard, under which vets are required to engage with the client to assume responsibility for making clinical judgments about an animal’s health, have sufficient knowledge of the animal by conducting examinations and/or visits to the facility where the animal is managed, and provide any necessary follow-up evaluation or care.

“The actions the FDA has taken to date represent important steps toward a fundamental change in how antimicrobials can be legally used in food-producing animals,” Michael Taylor, the agency’s deputy commissioner for foods, said in a news release.

“The Veterinary Feed Directive final rule takes another important step by facilitating veterinary oversight in a way that allows for the flexibility needed to accommodate the diversity of circumstances that veterinarians encounter, while ensuring such oversight is conducted in accordance with nationally consistent principles.”

The rule is part of the Obama administration’s push to fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria, known as super bugs.

President Obama signed an executive order Tuesday calling on the government’s cafeterias to prioritize meat that has been raised with responsible antibiotic practices. The Department of Health and Human Services is also moving forward with new regulations for hospitals. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drug-resistant bacteria cause 2 million illnesses and about 23,000 deaths in the United States each year.

The FDA’s rule, which will take effect in 120 days, is expected to cost industry $1.41 million in a one-time compliance cost. The FDA expects the annual benefits of veterinarians offering more efficient feed directives to be $13,000 over 10 years. Additionally, the agency said the reduction in veterinarian labor costs due to this rule is expected to result in a cost savings of about $7.87 million annually.

 

ON TAP FOR WEDNESDAY

The House Education and Workforce Committee will hold a hearing on the National Labor Relations Board’s opposition to right-to-work laws. http://1.usa.gov/1Rrm4NC

A House Energy and Commerce subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Department of Energy’s energy-efficiency policies. http://1.usa.gov/1d0cJgx

The Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on the lack of government watchdogs overseeing many federal agencies. http://1.usa.gov/1Gj9XQW

 

TOMORROW’S REGS TODAY

The Obama administration will publish 153 new regulations, proposed rules, notices and other administrative actions in Wednesday’s edition of the Federal Register.

Here’s what to watch for:

–The Department of Energy (DOE) will propose new energy conservation standards for residential dehumidifiers.

The Energy Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy is pushing the rules as part of an overhaul to efficiency standards for household appliances.

The DOE estimates the regulations for dehumidifiers will cost manufacturers nearly $35 million to comply with, but potentially save consumers more than $2 billion in energy costs.

The public has 60 days to comment. http://bit.ly/1cvV6ou

–The Energy Department will propose new regulations for small ceiling fans.

The Energy Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy proposed new test procedures for ceiling fans last October, but is now looking to expand those rules to include smaller ceiling fans which were previously excluded from the rulemaking.

“[A]ll ceiling fans less than seven feet in diameter would [also] be tested,” the agency says, along with larger fans.

The public has 75 days to comment. http://bit.ly/1Q47KgN

–The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will issue new emissions standards under the Clean Air Act.

The emissions standards target seven hazardous air pollutants.

The rule goes into effect immediately. http://bit.ly/1KKzCmO

–The Department of Justice (DOJ) will expand the number of immigration board members who hear appeals to deportation cases.

After hiring more immigration judges last year to chip away at the backlog of cases, the DOJ is anticipating more appeals from people who are set to be deported. It will hire two more board members to hear those appeals.

The interim rule goes into effect immediately, but the public will have 60 days to comment. http://bit.ly/1dJMWdI

 

NEWS RIGHT NOW

First Amendment: In protecting students from harassment and discrimination, lawmakers and experts say public colleges and universities are violating students’ right to free speech on college campuses. http://bit.ly/1dK0A0d

Handguns: Democrats are looking to place new restrictions on who can own handguns http://bit.ly/1K7QK4H

Ozone: A federal court is siding with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), saying it has wide latitude when enforcing limits on ground-level ozone pollution. http://bit.ly/1IdbTL8

Train crash: Lawmakers in the House spent hours Tuesday morning pointing fingers at each other for a deadly Amtrak crash in Philadelphia. http://bit.ly/1Gj5QEw

Spying: The Senate on Tuesday sent legislation reforming the nation’s surveillance laws to President Obama’s desk — days after a stalemate caused the National Security Agency’s powers to lapse. http://bit.ly/1AJMC99

License plates: In several states, low-number plates – the less numerals, the better – are a way to show off your political connections, The Washington Post reports. http://wapo.st/1GWWe17

Shootings: Two Democratic senators announced Tuesday that they will introduce legislation that would require all states to report to the Justice Department anytime a police officer is involved in a shooting or any other use of force that results in death, The Washington Post reports. http://wapo.st/1FSjUl0

 

BY THE NUMBERS:

32,000: The average number of deaths each year caused by gun violence in the U.S.

76,000: The average number of injuries each year caused by gun violence in the U.S.

 

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Freedom of speech is freedom from government interference,” said Wendy Kaminer, an attorney and member of the Massachusetts State Advisory Committee to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission during a House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on First Amendment protections on public college and university campuses.

 

We’ll work to stay on top of these and other stories throughout the week, so check The Hill’s Regulation page (http://digital-staging.thehill.com/regulation) early and often for the latest. And send any comments, complaints or regulatory news tips our way, tdevaney@digital-staging.thehill.com or lwheeler@digital-staging.thehill.com. And follow us at @timdevaney and@wheelerlydia.

Click here to sign up for the newsletter: http://bit.ly/1pc6tau