PSI Sci
New here? Follow the money and the votes · Not sure of your district? Find your U.S. House member · Find your state legislators

S. 2516: Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act

Before you vote › Federal bills

S. 2516: Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act

112th Congress · introduced 2012-05-07 · Health · Latest: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 389.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2012-05-07 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Sen. Harkin, Tom [D-IA] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 389. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act

Plain summary

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.) Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to reauthorize and establish new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prescription drug user-fee programs and revises requirements relating to: (1) prescription, pediatric, and generic drugs; (2) medical devices; (3) biosimilar biological products; (4) new infectious disease drugs; and (5) drug manufacturer reporting. Prescription Drug User Fee Amendments of 2012 - Extends through FY2017 the authority of the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to assess and collect prescription drug fees to support the FDA drug development and human drug application review process. Medical Device User Fee Amendments of 2012 - Extends through FY2017 the authority of the Secretary to assess and use fees for expediting the review process for medical device applications and for assuring the safety and effectiveness of such devices. Generic Drug User Fee Amendments of 2012 - Directs the Secretary to assess and collect human generic drug user fees through FY2017, including a fee for drug applications pending on October 1, 2012, a drug master file fee, a generic drug facility fee, and an active pharmaceutical ingredient facility fee. Biosimilar User Fee Act of 2012 - Establishes a new program to assess and use fees to expedite the review process for biosimilar biological product applications. Makes permanent programs to study and provide extended exclusivity periods for new drugs for use in pediatric populations. Permits the FDA to change a classification of a medical device through an administrative order rather than by regulation. Expands reporting requirements for manufacturers of prescription drugs. Provides incentives for the development of new qualified infectious disease products, including: (1) an additional five-year market exclusivity period, and (2) eligibility for priority and fast track review. Requires the Secretary to: (1) expedite the development and review of new drugs designed to treat a serious or life-threatening disease, and (2) include a risk-benefit analysis in the regulatory decision-making process for prescription drugs. Revises requirements for the reporting by drug manufacturers to HHS of a discontinuance or interruption in the production of life saving drugs. Requires the Secretary to establish a task force to develop and implement a strategic plan for enhancing the Secretary's response to preventing and mitigating drug shortages. Extends until October 1, 2017, the deadline for applications for elections relating to marketing exclusivity for certain drugs containing single enantiomers. Extends through FY2017 the authorization of appropriations for Critical Path Public-Private Partnerships to implement the FDA's Critical Path Initiative. Provides for the regulation of medical gas products. Directs the Secretary to: (1) issue guidance explaining FDA policy for promoting FDA-regulated medical products using the Internet and social media; (2) report to Congress on initiatives to combat prescription drug abuse; (3) reconsider tanning bed labeling requirements; and (4) submit an integrated management strategy identifying goals for the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, and the Center for Devices and Radiological Health.

Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to Senate without amendment), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to Senate without amendment)

AI explanation – may be wrong, check the official text

No AI explanation yet. It takes up to a minute to write and is then saved for everyone.

Limited to a few requests an hour per person.

The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Arguments against (opponents)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Alternatives

Needs sources: no published alternatives yet (for example a different bill, a law instead of an amendment, or keeping current law). We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Harkin, Tom [D-IA] · 0 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (4)
Appropriation
Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Authorization
A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Ballot initiative
A proposed law or constitutional amendment that citizens place on the ballot by gathering enough voter signatures, so voters decide it directly. About half the states allow some form of it.
Rulemaking
The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong112-s2516 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong112 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong112