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Committee backs broad Agriculture and Food cleanup bill after brief hearing
Summary
The House Health and Human Services Committee voted unanimously to favorably recommend HB 253, a 52-page Agriculture and Food Amendments bill that makes administrative changes to multiple agriculture programs, expands a veterinarian loan-repayment program, and adjusts water and conservation funding priorities.
Representative Kay Christofferson Albrecht presented House Bill 253, Agriculture and Food Amendments, to the House Health and Human Services Standing Committee and the committee voted to favorably recommend the bill.
The bill is an omnibus administrative cleanup for the Department of Agriculture spanning 1,742 lines and 52 pages, Albrecht said. "This is a cleanup bill, administrative bill, for the Department of Ag," she told the committee, and she highlighted several sections she said were among the bill's main changes.
Key provisions highlighted in the hearing would: expand the veterinarian loan-repayment program by broadening the definition of a qualified veterinarian and letting the department define "practice" in rule; amend the Fertilizer Act into a "Plant Food Act" and change statutory references from "fertilizer" to "plant food"; eliminate an unimplemented agricultural certificate of environmental stewardship (ACES) program; modify rules in the Elk Act removing a requirement to test for a red deer genetic factor; change the agriculture conservation easement account from a restricted account to an expendable special revenue fund; and redirect a sales-and-use tax earmark (Section 59-12-103) to the conservation division to pay for water optimization projects, including a 75% cost-share under Section 73-10g-205 for telemetry and reporting projects.
Troy Henry of the Utah Farm Bureau spoke in support of the bill during public comment, saying the measure "streamlines regulations, improves veterinary access, enhances conservation efforts and supports our farmers and ranchers." He described challenges in rural veterinary access and urged the committee to back the legislation.
Representative Clancy moved to favorably recommend HB 253, the committee voted in favor, and the chair said the motion passed unanimously.
The committee placed the bill to move forward with a favorable recommendation; committee members did not raise additional amendments during the public hearing.
Votes at a glance: the committee recorded a motion to favorably recommend HB 253; the committee chair announced the motion passed unanimously (count not specified).
