Major report coming out today; CD gives teaser

This is from Martin Vaughan in Congress Daily:

Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said last week he will soon introduce legislation to ensure that if faulty products are recalled, there is a way to pay for it. A spokeswoman said the bill will require importers to have insurance to cover that cost. Details remain to be worked out.

While the bill would initially have focused on tires and auto parts -- a response to the June recall of 450,000 Chinese-made tires by a New Jersey distributor -- its scope might ultimately be broader. "The influx of contaminated and unsafe imports from China -- ranging from toothpaste to tires, pet food to fish, has made it glaringly clear that we must better protect our supply lines -- and hold importers accountable," the Brown spokeswoman said.

Brown today will join Global Trade Watch Director Lori Wallach and Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund CEO Bill Bullard to release a report claiming that provisions in NAFTA and other trade agreements are partly to blame for making imported food less safe.

The report will include an analysis in particular of seafood from Peru and Panama, two countries whose free trade agreements with the United States might see congressional action this fall.

To maximize coverage in regional news outlets, the report is being unveiled at events nationwide including ones in New Orleans, San Francisco, Texas, and the Pacific Northwest.