Congresswoman Louise Slaughter has introduced H.R. 965, the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (“PAMTA”). Her legislation would limit the use of seven classes of antibiotics currently used to treat animals, most of which are already healthy, and preserve their use for humans. Louise Slaughter is unique among Members of Congress as the only serving member with a degree in microbiology (she also earned a MPH at University of Kentucky). First elected to Congress in 1986, she is currently serving her 14th term and is one of the most senior female Members of Congress and the Ranking Democrat on the powerful House Rules Committee.

Slaughter comments that, “antibiotic resistance is a major public health crisis, and yet antibiotics are used regularly and with little oversight in agriculture. As a microbiologist, I cannot stress the urgency of this problem enough so today I’m proud to reintroduce the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act. When we go to the grocery store to pick up dinner, we should be able to buy our food without worrying that eating it will expose our family to potentially deadly bacteria that will no longer respond to our medical treatments.  Unless we act now, we will unwittingly be permitting animals to serve as incubators for resistant bacteria.”

The text of HR 965 is posted below: