Below is a summary of current food-related legislation by state. Each listing provides a link to the legislative text. Email important additions to: camarigg at uark.edu
AK HB 46: PROCURE AK FISH, AG PROD.; RAW MILK SALES. An Act relating to the state and municipal procurement preferences for agricultural products harvested in the state and fisheries products harvested or processed in the state; relating to the sale of milk, milk products, raw milk, and raw milk products; and providing for an effective date. Referred to State Affairs, Jan. 18. Rep. Geran Tarr (DEM-AK).
AR HB 1745: TO REENACT AND UPDATE THE LAW CONCERNING THE TASK FORCE ON ALPHA-GAL. Returned by the Committee Do Pass, March 7. Rep. Andy Mayberry (REP-AR).
CA AB 441: LAND USE: ZONING REGULATIONS: FARM TO TABLE CAFES. An act to add Section 65850.8 of the Government Code, relating to land use. Referred to Coms. on L. GOV. and AGRI, Feb. 27. Frazier (A).
CA AB 564: FRUITS, NUTS AND VEGETABLES: INSPECTIONS. An act to amend Section 42653 of the Food and Agricultural Code, relating to agriculture. Referred to Com. on AGRI., Feb. 27.
CA AB 1219: FOOD DONATIONS. An act to amend Section 1714.25 of the Civil Code, to amend Section 58502 of, and to repeal Section 58505 of, the Food and Agricultural Code, and to amend Sections 114432, 114433, and 114434 of, and to add Section 114435 to, the Health and Safety Code, relating to food donations. May be heard in committee March 21. Eggman (A).
CA SB 186: FOOD SAFETY. An act to amend Section 110430 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to food safety. Referred to Com. on RLS, Feb. 2. Nguyen (S).
CA SB 557: FOOD DONATIONS: SCHOOLS. An act to add Article 13 (commencing with Section 49580) to Chapter 9 of Part 27 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code, and to amend Section 114079 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to food safety. Referred to Coms. on HEALTH and ED., March 2. Hernandez (S).
CO HB 1055: CREATE NEW TAX CHECKOFF FOR URBAN PEAK. Concerning a voluntary contribution designation benefiting the Urban Peak Housing and Support Services for Youth Experiencing Homelessness fund that appears on the state individual tax return forms. Senate Third Reading Passed, Feb. 28. Leslie Herod.
CO HB 1234: BEEF COUNTRY OF ORIGIN RETAIL PLACARD. Concerning a requirement that a retailer indicate the country of origin of beef sold to the public. Assigned to Agriculture, Livestock, & Natural Resources + Appropriations, March 7. Kimi Lewis.
CT HB 6333: AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AS THE LEAD AGENCY FOR THE ENFORCEMENT OF THE FOOD SAFETY MODERNIZATION ACT. To designate the Department of Agriculture as the lead agency for purposes of the federal Food Safety Modernization Act. Referred to Office of Legislative Research, March 6.
CT HB 6339: AN ACT CONCERNING CRATES USED FOR VEAL CALVES, BREEDING PIGS AND EGG-LAYING HENS. To prevent animal cruelty, improve food safety, protect the environment and support family farms. Referred to Joint Committee on Environment, Jan. 23. Rep. Diana S. Urban, 43rd Dist.
DC B22 72: SAVE GOOD FOOD AMENDMENT ACT OF 2017. Notice of Intent to Act on B22-0072 Published in the District of Columbia Register, Jan. 27.
GA HB 176: Agriculture, Department of; enter into agreements with the federal government to enforce provisions of certain federal laws. A bill to be entitled an Act to amend Chapter 2 of Title 26 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to standards, labeling, and adulteration of food, so as to authorize the Department of Agriculture to enter into agreements with the federal government to enforce provisions of certain federal laws; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes. Senate Passed/Adopted, March 6. Rep. Tom McCall (REP-GA).
HI HB 230: Agricultural Lands; Food Safety; Income Tax Credit. Establishes an income tax credit for agricultural businesses that lose income because the business took land out of active production to comply with federal food safety requirements. Referred to the committee(s) on FIN, Feb. 15. Rep. Cindy Evans (DEM-HI).
HI HB 255: Agriculture; Department of Education; Farm to School; Grant Program; Special Fund. Establishes the farm to school grant program to provide grants to farmers participating in the Hawaii farm to school program. Creates the farm to school grant program special fund. Makes appropriations. Creates two full-time positions. Referred to the committee(s) on FIN, Feb. 15. Rep. Richard Creagan (DEM-HI).
HI HB 455: Department of Agriculture; Fees; Food Safety Certification Activities. Prohibits the Department of Agriculture from charging agricultural producers for the costs of food safety certification activities conducted by the department. Passed First Reading, March 7. Rep. Lynne DeCoite (DEM-HI).
HI HB 891: Agriculture; Increased Local Food Production; Strategic Plan; Department of Agriculture. Requires the Department of Agriculture, in cooperation with the office of the governor, to develop a strategic plan to double local food production and exports by 2020. Passed First Reading, March 7. Rep. Lynne DeCoite (DEM-HI).
HI HB 1174: Cottage Foods; Home Kitchen Based Businesses; Exemptions. Provides an exemption from Department of Health rules to certain cottage food products sold directly to consumers under certain conditions. Referred to EDB, HLT, CPC, Jan. 30. Rep. Lauren Matsumoto (REP-HI).
HI HB 1559: Sea Salt Products; Color Additives; Food and Drug Administration Guidance. Appropriates funds to DBEDT in each of fiscal years 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 to address the FDA’s industry guidance on the use of color additives in sea salt products. Passed First Reading, March 7. Rep. Mark Hashem (DEM-HI).
IL HB 794: MEAT/POULTRY INSPECTION-TYPE I. Amends the Meat and Poultry Inspection Act. In provisions concerning Type I establishments licensed under the Act, provides that the establishment shall be permitted to process meat and poultry from animals and poultry slaughtered by the owner or for the owner for his or her own personal use or for use by his or her household, to receive live animals and poultry presented to the owner to be slaughtered and processed for the owner’s own personal use or for use by his or her household, and to process inspected meat and poultry for the owner’s own personal use or for use by his household. Assigned to Agriculture & Conservation Committee, Feb. 8. Rep. David Reis (REP-IL).
IL HB 2820: FARMERS’ MARKETS-COTTAGE FOOD. Amends the Food Handling Regulation Enforcement Act. Provides that the Department of Public Health shall work with the Farmers’ Market Task Force to address farmers’ market vendor complaints regarding the reasonableness of local health departments’ fees and sanitation provisions. Provides that farmers’ market vendors shall provide effective means to maintain potentially hazardous food at or below a specified temperature. Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Anna Moeller, Feb. 24. Rep. Steven Andersson (REP-IL).
IL HB 3063: FARMERS MARKETS-COTTAGE FOOD. Amends the Food Handling Regulation Enforcement Act. Makes changes to provisions concerning farmers’ markets. Provides that the Department of Public Health shall work with the Farmers’ Market Task Force to address farmers’ market vendor complaints regarding the reasonableness of local health departments’ fees and sanitation provisions. Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Anna Moeller, Feb. 24. Rep. Will Guzzardi (DEM-IL).
IL SB 627: GENETICALLY ENGINEERED FOOD. Creates the Genetically Engineered Food Right To Know Act. Referred to Assignments, Jan. 25. Sen. Ira Silverstein (DEM-IL).
IL SB 1469: FARMERS’ MARKETS-COTTAGE FOOD. Amends the Food Handling Regulation Enforcement Act. Provides that the Department of Public Health shall work with the Farmers’ Market Task Force to address farmers’ market vendor complaints regarding the reasonableness of local health departments’ fees and sanitation provisions. Postponed – Public Health, March 2. Sen. David Koehler (DEM-IL).
IN HB 1336: Department of health matters. Provides that in cases in which food is believed to be adulterated or so misbranded as to be dangerous or fraudulent, the commissioner or the commissioner’s agent may mark food to give notice that the food has been detained or embargoed for not more than 15 days. (Current law allows the food to be detained or embargoed for five days.) Referred to Committee on Health and Provider Services, Feb. 20. Rep. Cindy Kirchhofer (REP-IN).
IN SB 77: Regulation of food dispensing micro markets. Provides that a retail food establishment that is a micro market is not required to have a person in charge present at the micro market if certain requirements are met. Referred to Committee on Commerce, Small Business and Economic Development, Feb. 28. Sen. Jon Ford (REP-IN).
KS HB 2131: Providing a sales tax exemption for food and food ingredients. Referred to Committee on Taxation, Jan. 23. Rep. Vic Miller (DEM-KS).
KY HB 527: AN ACT relating to temporary food service establishments and declaring an emergency. To establish requirements for restricted concessions and statewide mobile food units. To Licensing, Occupations, & Admin Regs, Feb. 21. Rep. Myron Dossett (REP-KY).
MA SB 415: An Act decreasing food waste by standardizing the date labeling of food. Concurred in committee referral, Feb. 23. Sen. Eileen Donoghue (DEM-MA).
MI SB 122 Food; restaurants; outdoor seating areas at restaurants; allow dogs to be present. Referred to committee on agriculture, Feb. 9. Sen. Margaret O’Brien (REP-MI).
MN HF 1545: Food Safety and Defense Task force extended. Committee report March 1. Rep. Rod Hamilton (REP-MN).
MN HF 2049: Farm to school program established. Referred to Agriculture Policy, March 2. Rep. Debra Kiel (REP-MN).
NJ A 4351: COTTAGE FOOD PRODUCTS. Permits, and establishes requirements for, sale of cottage food products. Combined with A3618/1974 (ACS). Asm. Bob Andrzejczak (DEM-NJ).
NY AB 2075: Directs the commissioner of health to promulgate special rules and regulations for food safety in soup kitchens. Referred to Health, Jan. 16. Joseph Lentol.
NY AB 3175: Relates to prohibiting certain restaurants and food establishments from serving foods containing artificial trans fat. Referred to Health, Jan. 26. Felix Ortiz.
NY AB 3535: Relates to the creation of an advisory board within the department of agriculture and markets on food safety and inspection programs. Board is to advise, counsel and confer with the commissioner of agriculture and markets on matters dealing with enforcement of laws and regulations regarding food safety and protection and shall make recommendations regarding any necessary statutory or regulatory changes. Third reading, Feb. 22. Vivian Cook.
NY AB 4012: Prohibits the slaughter of horses for human consumption. Prohibits any person from slaughtering a horse where such person knows or has reason to know that such horse will be used for human consumption. Referred to Agriculture, Jan. 29. Deborah Glick.
OR SB 18: FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN. Designates State Department of Agriculture as primary state agency for administration and enforcement of state duties, functions and powers under federal FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, related federal guidelines or interstate food safety systems authorized by federal Act. Public Hearing March 6.
PA SB 246: Act prohibiting the administration of certain antimicrobial agents in agriculture. Referred to Ag and Rural Affairs, Jan. 27. Sen. Daylin Leach (DEM-PA).
TN HB 299: FOOD AND FOOD PRODUCTS. Exempts from licensure certain producers of small amounts of non-hazardous food intended for commerce; makes various changes to food safety laws. In Government Operations Committee, March 7. Rep. David Hawk (REP-TN).
TN HB 869: FOOD AND FOOD PRODUCTS. Requires commissioner of agriculture to promulgate rules to exempt from the Tennessee Meat and Poultry Inspection Act any livestock producers who are acting in compliance with the Federal Meat Inspection Act. Assigned to s/c Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee, Feb. 14. Rep. John Holsclaw (REP-TN).
TN HB 1080: FOOD AND FOOD PRODUCTS. Includes catering businesses that make occasional sales one time per week up to 52 times per year in the exclusion of catering businesses from regulation as food service establishments under the Tennessee Food Safety Act and the Tennessee Retail Food Safety Act. Assigned to s/c Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee, Feb. 17. Rep. Jerry Sexton (REP-TN)
TX HB 1926: Relating to the regulation of food production and sales operations by a home food processor; requiring an occupational permit; authorizing a fee and an administrative penalty. Filed Feb. 15. Rep. Eddie Rodriguez (DEM-TX).
TX HB 3227: Relating to the administration and enforcement of produce safety standards by the Department of Agriculture. Filed March 7. Rep. Tracy King (DEM-TX).
VA HB 62: MILK PRODUCTION. Exempts persons who own three or fewer milking cows and three or fewer goats from the oversight of the Milk Commission and the Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ requirements governing the quality, grading, and sanitary standards for milk so long as the milk their cows or goats produce is sold directly to consumers and contains a label stating that the product has not been inspected by the state and the consumer is purchasing the product at his own risk. Left in Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources, Feb. 16. Del. Richard Morris (REP-VA).
VA HB 619: Home-produced or farm-produced food products. Exempts food products and food made from milk processed or prepared in private homes or farms from Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services regulations, so long as (i) the sale is made directly to end consumers and (ii) the product is labeled with the producer’s name and address, the product’s ingredients, and a disclosure statement indicating the product is not for resale and is processed and prepared without state inspection. Left in Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources, Feb. 16. Del. Richard Bell (REP-VA).
VT H 299: An act relating to the sale of shell eggs. Referred to the Committee on Agriculture & Forestry, Feb. 16. Rep. Barbara Rachelson (DEM-VT).
VT H 440: An act relating to certifying livestock and poultry as humanely raised, handled, and slaughtered. Referred to the Committee on Agriculture & Forestry, Feb. 23. Rep. Barbara Rachelson (DEM-VT).
VT H 477: An act relating to imposing an excise tax on food products containing sugar. Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, Feb. 24. Rep. James Masland (DEM-VT).
WA HB 1110: Concerning the slaughter of horses and other equines for human consumption. Referred to Judiciary, Jan. 11. Rep. Sherry Appleton (DEM-WA).
WV SB 283: CREATING FOOD PRODUCTION ACT. To Agriculture and Rural Development, Feb. 14. Sen. Ronald Miller (DEM-WV).