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Committee advances bill aligning pesticide labeling with EPA standards, sponsor says it prevents local judicial add-ons
Summary
HB1755 would align state labeling requirements with EPA determinations for pesticide products; sponsor said the bill prevents district courts from adding labeling requirements, and the committee passed the measure to the next stage with a recorded tally on the transcript.
Representative Curbs presented HB1755, a bill the sponsor described as "a labeling bill. It is not an immunity bill. It is just clarifying, on EPA labeling regulations on products, and puts an American company on the same playing field as the foreign countries that provide products."
Curbs told the committee the bill intends to keep labeling consistent with federal EPA standards and to avoid district courts adding requirements to labels. "What’s happened, in our country is, we have, judiciary cycles, district judges, things along that line that decide that they think they need to be in the labeling business and try to add things to this," Curbs said, arguing the EPA is the proper regulator. "At the end of the day, when we are talking about a nationwide issue, we need to make sure we're staying pretty standard with that. And and again, like it or not, the EPA is our regulatory authority that that deals with the labeling."
Members asked for clarifications about what would appear on labels; Curbs said the bill defers to "whatever the EPA says those standards are." He also emphasized the bill does not shield companies from lawsuits: "It does not hold them harmless in any way, shape, or form."
Representative Byrd and others asked for more time to consult with supporters and opponents; Curbs said he was approached by Bayer and that the Department of Agriculture supports the bill. "I was first approached by, Bayer. And then when I did my research, first first place I went after that was the Department of Ag. Department of Ag is supportive of the bill," Curbs said.
The committee voted to pass HB1755 and send it on to the next level. The transcript records members' votes in part: Representative Moore voted aye and Representative Burns voted nay; the committee’s tally was recorded on the floor as 7 yeas and 2 nays. The sponsor said he would make himself available to meet with interested parties before later consideration.
