The Senate moved one step closer today to passing S. 510, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. The bill would expand the regulatory authority of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by giving the agency the power to order recalls of contaminated foods, among other powers.

Late this morning the Senate held a procedural vote to end debate on the bill. The cloture motion passed in a 75-24 vote, easily surmounting the 60-vote threshold.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee sent the bill to the Senate floor in November 2009, but it has repeatedly fallen down the list of priorities beneath health care, financial reform, and the Senate’s many, many weeks in recess. Just when advocates thought the bill’s time had finally come, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) placed a hold on the bill. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid filed a cloture motion on the bill before recessing for the midterm elections, setting up today’s vote.

No word yet on when a final vote on the bill might occur, but the vote is expected soon (as in this week).