REP. TOM VICINO: LANDMARK LEGISLATION ON GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS PASSED

Rep. Tom Vicino (D-Clinton, Killingworth, Westbrook) hailed the historic passage of legislation on genetically modified foods. The legislation was overwhelmingly approved by the State Senate and the House of Representatives and is now on the Governor’s desk for his signature. “I am proud that Connecticut is the first state in our country to pass legislation that will give consumers more information on what is in their food,” Rep. Tom Vicino said. House Bill 6527 requires the labeling of foods containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs). As Connecticut is leading the charge on this issue, the legislation sets in place several safeguards to ensure we are not the only state to require labeling – thus potentially impacting local businesses and send food costs skyrocketing if we were a “stand alone” state. For the legislation to take effect, four states must pass similar legislation as long as the total population of participating states is over 20 million people and one is a neighboring state. “People have a right to know what they are consuming and feeding their families,” said Rep. Vicino. I am pleased Connecticut is a pioneer in passing this common sense legislation and I urge other states to join the movement.” Rep. Vicino supported the original GMO labeling proposal and is a cosponsor of this legislation. Representative Vicino invites constituents to contact his office to share their ideas and concerns. He can be reached his capitol office by calling 1-800-842-8267 or by email at: tom.vicino@cga.ct.gov Tom Vicino represents the 35th Assembly District of Clinton, Killingworth and Westbrook, and serves on the Commerce, Environment and Planning & Development Committees.