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Committee approves amendment, advances bill to clarify sale of raw-milk products
Summary
The Senate Agriculture, Forestry & Economic Development Committee approved an emergency-clause amendment and advanced Senate Bill 464, which clarifies permitted raw-milk products, adds natural food stores as an authorized retail outlet and reduces a required retail sign size.
Senate Bill 464, sponsored by Sen. Allen Clark, D‑7, moved forward after the Senate Agriculture, Forestry & Economic Development Committee approved an emergency-clause amendment and voted to pass the bill out of committee.
The bill defines “raw milk products” to include consumer products using raw milk or raw cream — listing examples such as butter, buttermilk, cheese, cottage cheese, kefir and yogurt — and adds “natural food stores” to the list of places where raw-milk products may be sold. It also reduces the required sign size for sellers from 2 feet by 4 feet to 18 inches by 24 inches. An amendment adding an emergency clause was adopted before the committee voted on the bill.
Senator Allen Clark told the committee the amendment’s emergency clause was requested by supporters and explained the change in sign size as a reduction from what supporters considered an excessively large requirement. Clark also described the bill as “primarily about cheese” while noting the statutory definition is broader.
The amendment was seconded by Senator Stone and approved by voice vote. After final remarks from Clark, the committee approved the bill on a voice vote; no roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript.
What the committee did not do in this hearing: specify effective dates beyond the emergency-clause language adopted in the amendment, and the transcript contains no committee-recorded roll-call with counts or dissenting member names.
The committee chair closed the item after the voice vote and moved to the next agenda item.
Votes at a glance: The committee approved an emergency-clause amendment to SB 464 (motion seconded by Senator Stone) and then voted the bill out of committee on a voice vote (motion to pass by Senator Stone, second by Senator Crowell). The transcript records only voice votes (ayes/voice consent); no named no votes were recorded.
For follow up: The bill text adopted in committee reduces mandated retail signage, expands authorized retail outlets to include natural food stores, and adds an emergency clause. The committee record in the transcript does not enumerate the final effective date or the full statutory placement beyond the text described by the sponsor.
