House Agriculture Committee passes amended House Bill 269

The House Agriculture Committee voted to pass House Bill 269 as amended after a short executive-action session. Vice Chair Minor moved the bill, and Representative Tillman offered an amendment that he said came from the Farmers Union and the Department of Agriculture and incorporated input from the organic association.

Representative Tillman moved “an amendment to House Bill 269 with bill number 269.001 0.002,” saying the change was “pretty much the amendment from the Farmers Union and the Department of Agriculture, kinda getting those concerns taken out and making sure that the organic association had input on the organic, killing the organic committee.” The committee took a voice vote on that amendment and the chair recorded no opposition to the amendment during the voice tally.

After the amendment was adopted, Vice Chair Minor moved that the bill, once amended, do pass. Vice Chair Carter urged support, saying he had previously noted that opposition had hesitation but indicated they would accept amendments: “the opposition had hesitation, and they were gonna be good with, amendments on it… I'll support this with the amendment.” The committee then conducted a voice vote on the amended bill. The chair declared, “The ayes have it,” and recorded two members voting aye by proxy: Representative Lynch and Representative Griffith. The chair announced that House Bill 269 had passed as amended.

The meeting record does not include a roll-call tally of individual yes/no votes beyond the two proxy ayes noted. The committee adjourned after the action; the chair also announced plans for additional bills later in the week, including a reference to House Bill 356 concerning livestock loss reimbursement for black bear predation, with final scheduling and details not specified.