Legislature hears support for task force to ease regulatory stress on farmers
Loading...
Summary
A bipartisan task force bill (HB 2619) to study and recommend regulatory reforms for agriculture drew broad support from producers, WSDA and industry groups; staff and sponsor said they are working to reduce a fiscal note before policy cutoff.
The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee on Friday heard testimony in favor of House Bill 26 19, which would create a joint legislative task force to review regulations affecting land use, water stewardship, grazing rights and pesticide rules and recommend reforms by November 2028.
Representative Tom Dent, the bill's prime sponsor, told the committee the measure implements a top recommendation from a task force on farm mental health and suicide prevention and is intended to reduce "regulatory overload" that he said contributes to financial stress among producers. Dent said the bill is aimed at giving farmers breathing room without imposing handouts.
Kelly McClain, assistant director and policy advisor at the Washington State Department of Agriculture, said WSDA supports the concept and helped coordinate prior task‑force work. McClain acknowledged a fiscal note associated with the task‑force work and told the committee staff are working to "right‑size" the task force — including assumptions about the number of meetings and agency time — to lower costs.
Industry groups including the Washington Cattlemen's Association and Washington State Dairy Federation testified in support. Mark Strueley of the Cattlemen's Association said family farms lack in‑house legal staff and that regulatory relief could help keep multigenerational operations viable. Jay Gordon of the Dairy Federation urged the committee to also examine why food processors are leaving the state, citing lost processing capacity and acreage as additional stressors.
Committee staff briefed members on the task force's composition, which the bill would set to include members from the largest House and Senate caucuses and agency directors or designees, with legislative staff providing support. The task force must submit its findings to the appropriate legislative committees by November 2028, the briefing said.
Dent and WSDA told the panel they are attempting to resolve fiscal‑note issues before the policy cutoff; McClain said agreement on a reduced scope was "possible." The committee did not take final action on HB 26 19 during Friday's hearing.
The committee will consider amendments and may revisit the fiscal assumptions before moving the bill forward.
