Public Act 117 of 2009

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• Introduced by Rep. Mike Simpson (D) on June 23, 2009, to impose and enforce farm animal care regulations on agricultural producers, and impose fees on farms sufficient to pay for this new regulatory regime. At first the regulations would be those created by producer organizations, but the Department of Agriculture would have the power to create and enforce its own. The department would be empowered to impose a “a progressive enforcement mechanism” on violators to bring about compliance.
  • Referred to the House Agriculture Committee on June 23, 2009.
    • Reported in the House on August 4, 2009, with the recommendation that the substitute (H-1) be adopted and that the bill then pass.
  • Substitute offered in the House on September 16, 2009, to replace the previous version of the bill with one that revises details of the proposed regulations, enforcement provisions, and phase-in timetable. This version was subsequently superseded by another substitute with more changes. The substitute failed in the House by voice vote on September 16, 2009.
  • Substitute offered by Rep. Mike Simpson (D) on September 16, 2009, to replace the previous version of the bill with one that revises details of the proposed regulations, enforcement provisions, and phase-in timetable. The substitute passed in the House by voice vote on September 16, 2009.
• Passed in the House (87 to 20) on September 16, 2009, to impose and enforce farm animal care regulations on agricultural producers, and impose fees on farms sufficient to pay for this new regulatory regime. The bill would phase in a prohibition on tethering or confining any pregnant pigs, egg-laying hens, or veal calves for all or the majority of any day in a manner that prevented the animal from lying down, standing up, fully extending its limbs, or turning around freely. The legislature acted because animal rights organizations threatened to gather signatures and place on the ballot an initiative imposing much more draconian regulations on producers. [Vote Details and Comments]
• Received in the Senate on September 17, 2009.
  • Referred to the Senate Agriculture and Bioeconomy Committee on September 17, 2009.
    • Reported in the Senate on September 25, 2009, with the recommendation that the substitute (S-2) be adopted and that the bill then pass.
  • Substitute offered in the Senate on September 30, 2009, to replace the previous version of the bill with one that revises details of the proposed regulations, enforcement provisions, and phase-in timetable. The substitute passed in the Senate by voice vote on September 30, 2009.
• Passed in the Senate (36 to 0) on September 30, 2009, to impose and enforce farm animal care regulations on agricultural producers, and impose fees on farms sufficient to pay for this new regulatory regime. The bill would phase in a prohibition on tethering or confining any pregnant pigs ("gestating sow"), egg-laying hens, or veal calves for all or the majority of any day in a manner that prevented the animal from lying down, standing up, fully extending its limbs, or turning around freely. The legislature acted because animal rights organizations threatened to gather signatures and place on the ballot an initiative imposing much more draconian regulations on producers. [Vote Details and Comments]
• Received in the House on September 30, 2009.
• Passed in the House (86 to 22) on October 1, 2009, to concur with the Senate-passed version of the bill. [Vote Details and Comments]
• Signed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm on October 12, 2009.