The house ag committee recently had a hearing and “…we are extremely grateful to Chairman Thompson for putting a spotlight on this issue,” said National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) Senior Director of Congressional Relations Matt Grill.
Speaking with AgriTalk Radio, Grill said the NPPC is working to get out in front of upcoming Farm Bill legislation, which could codify the response to Prop 12. A Supreme Court decision two years ago upheld Proposition 12, but the Court passed the measure back to Congress for the final word. Congress does have the authority to regulate commerce, and the Supreme Court affirmed and leaned-in to that authority with that ruling.
“Whether you are compliant or not, we cannot have a 50-state patchwork.” Washington D.C. is currently not taking on many stand-alone bills and Grill says “you’re better off hitching to a larger bill. What better vehicle to address this issue than a New Farm Bill?”
The deeper issue is whether one state should be able to dictate how business is done in another state or on a national level. “Investments are not secure if another state can change the rules on you,” Grill remarked.
Grill expressed hopes of some progress on a new Farm Bill later this year.“We’re still waiting on Farm Bill 2.0 but the Chairman [Thompson] has said he is committed to this issue on Prop 12. Hopefully we see some action in the fall.”
More ag policy updates from Pro Farmer.
