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Subcommittee advances bill to limit fireworks and other hazards near livestock after farmer testimony
Summary
After emotional testimony from a Fountain Inn horse farm owner about animals injured by fireworks and nearby development, the House Agriculture Subcommittee voted 5-0 to advance bill 5,116 aiming to create protective distance and liability clarifications around livestock operations.
Nancy Garrison, a Fountain Inn farm owner, told the House Agriculture Subcommittee she has horses, barns and hay storage within a few hundred feet of new housing and is worried about safety risks from fireworks and other residential activities. “There’s 131 town homes within 30 feet of our property line,” she said, and described several incidents — from a horse burned by distant fireworks to a foal that died after running into a fence — that she linked to encroaching development.
The bill, introduced by Representative Mark Willis on behalf of Garrison, would provide state-level protections intended to reduce conflicts between new residential construction and established livestock or equine operations. Willis described the measure as “constituent driven” and said he had consulted the Farm Bureau and county associations, which he said raised no formal objections.
Supporters told the committee they want to preserve rural livelihoods amid rapid development. Representative Doug Gillum, who moved the bill, and others said county-level regulation has not prevented the problems Garrison described. Garrison told members she had sought county ordinances for one to two years without success and that county votes had been narrowly divided.
Committee members pressed for specifics about past local efforts and enforcement. Representative Mike Burns asked when the first problem occurred; Garrison said the issue arose “a couple of years ago” and that homeowners’ association rules (which in the development she cited prohibit fireworks) had not been effective. She acknowledged that state law already imposes some limits and potential liability when fireworks are discharged onto another’s property, but said identifying perpetrators would be difficult if hundreds of homes sit along a pasture line.
The subcommittee moved the bill by voice and recorded roll-call votes. Representatives Lucas Atkinson, Doug Gillum, Patrick Hadden, Luke Rankin and Bill Chumley voted aye; two members were not present. The chair said the measure would be taken to the floor next.
What’s next: The subcommittee advanced bill 5,116 to the full committee; proponents said they would provide additional materials, including signatures collected by Garrison, and continue working on details of distance or enforcement mechanisms.
