Congress Considers Prohibiting State Laws Regulating Manufacture of Agricultural Products

Senate Bill 2619 and House Bill 4999 would prohibit states and local jurisdictions from prohibiting the sale of agricultural products using certain practices if the goods were produced in other jurisdictions. The bill would create a private right of action to challenge any such state prohibitions and would order courts to issue a preliminary injunction to prevent them from taking effect until final judgment is rendered in the challenge. The bill is similar to the King Amendment to the U.S. Farm Bill which targeted state laws banning the sale of products derived from animals raised using forms of extreme confinement, such as battery cages, gestation crates, or veal tethering.