|
Home >
Legislative Tracker
> food and agricultural security
Agriculture:
food and agricultural security
Our Position: oppose
Bill Number: SCR1035
Sponsor: Flake, Arzberger, Jarrett, et al
Legislative Session: 2006 Legislative Session
It refers to the ballot a measure that says only some unnamed agency that the legislature designates has the authority to enforce or adopt both laws and administrative rules that govern agriculture. They actually give legislative authority to an agency. This unnamed agency could both enact laws and also administrative rules (separation of powers?). You might ask what would happen if they enacted laws that were contrary to those the Legislature passes. Good question. The measure includes a ban on any law or rule that would limit or restrict production of agricultural products except for those laws or rules that are for the protection of public health and safety, necessary to comply with federal law or laws or rules that relate use of surface water, effluent or groundwater, laws that relate to wildlife which may be consumed as food, and those relating to state trust land grazing and agricultural leases. It is unclear how this might affect environmental protections. I would argue that nearly every environmental law we have is either to comply with federal law and/or to protect the public health and safety. Irrespective of that, this measure is just plain bad. It is also another measure that is being promoted simply to undercut a citizen initiative, the Humane Farms measure.
Status
03/15/06 - It failed in the Senate Committee of the Whole 12-15.
Action Needed
More information
Check out this opinion piece in the Arizona Republic http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/0226sun2-26.html and check out this article about the bill's defeat
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0315agriculture-bill0315.html (Yay!)
Contact
Sandy Bahr at sandy.bahr@sierraclub.org or (602) 253-8633.
|
