©2026 League of Conservation Voters
2016 Scorecard Vote
48
49
3
Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) introduced S. 2609, a bill to amend the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, also known as the Denying Americans the Right to Know (DARK) Act, which would prevent states from requiring the labeling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). In addition, the bill would make it harder for companies to inform customers about their ingredients, strip the Food and Drug Administration of its jurisdiction over GMO food disclosures, and force the USDA to spend resources promoting biotechnology to consumers. The majority of people in the United States increasingly want to know more about where their food comes from, not less. But instead, this bill’s sweeping preemption of state and local authority is an attack on consumer choice and state efforts to protect human health and the environment. Senator Roberts’ bill was added to S. 764, but on March 16, the Senate rejected the DARK Act by a vote of 48-49 (Senate roll call vote 37). NO IS THE PRO-ENVIRONMENT VOTE. S. 764 was later amended and passed by both chambers and signed into law by President Obama on July 29.
©2026 League of Conservation Voters