Food bills set for Senate hearing this Tuesday

Kyle Curtis

Following up on a series of food-related bills working their way through the legislature, the Senate Committee on the Environment and Natural Resources has scheduled a hearing on three such bills this coming Tuesday. The bills to be considered include HB 2336, the Direct Marketing Bill which codifies the ability for small farmers and producers to sell products and grown and processed by themselves at farmers markets or farm stands; HB 2872, the Poultry Processing Bill that allows small producers to raise and slaughter their own birds which they can then sell to their neighbors; and HB 2947, the Honey Bill which establishes rules regarding the standards of identity and quality and labeling requirements for honey sold in Oregon. The hearing will be held at 3:00 pm in Hearing Room C.

If you support these bills, you may be tempted to call your Senator and voice your approval. As this is a committee hearing, only contact your Senator if they serve on the Natural Resources and Environmental committee. Once bills make it through committee to be offered for full Senate debate, you should then contact your Senator if they do not serve on this committee (A list of Environment and Natural Resource committee members can be found here. You can also contact Committee staffers if your Senator is not on this committee, as they will keep a record of any comments they receive.) Another option, if you are able to make it to Salem on Tuesday afternoon, would be to sign up to testify in support of these bills.

Keep an eye out here for post-hearing updates, of course.

By Kyle Curtis April 30, 2011