Iowa Rep. Steve King reintroduced the Protect Interstate Commerce Act, HR272, on Jan. 8, 2019.

The bill seeks to prevent states from regulating agricultural products produced or manufactured in other states.

“PICA ends California’s unconstitutional attempt to regulate agricultural goods produced lawfully in the other 49 states,” said King. “Since the Supreme Court has declined to quickly hear state-backed challenges to unconstitutional laws like California’s Proposition 12, it is important that Congress address this issue with urgency by passing PICA and providing our producers with certainty that their goods will continue to be sold in the nation’s largest marketplace.”

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In November, voters in California adopted a ballot initiative called Proposition 12 that closes California’s markets to eggs, pork, and veal produced in states that have not adopted California’s regulations. Proposition 12 enforces a sales ban even if the agricultural goods produced in another state were produced in compliance with applicable USDA standards, and/or applicable health, safety, and welfare standards of the state in which the producers live and work.

The legislation was included in the House-passed version of the 2018 Farm Bill and has passed the House on two separate occasions. Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn.; Rep. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas; Rep. Ron Estes, R-Kansas, and Rep. Bob Gibbs, R-Ohio, are co-sponsors of the legislation. Peterson is chairman of the House Agriculture Committee.

Source: Office of Rep. Steve King, Congress.gov, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.