Action Alert
March 14, 2007
HB 461 Unanimously Approved by Committee!
On Monday, the House Committee on Agriculture and Livestock approved HB 461 by a unanimous vote, 7-0!!!! HB 461 would remove the TAHC's authority to make NAIS mandatory and remove the civil and criminal penalties that exist now.
A committee substitute version of HB 461 had been proposed to provide additional protections. It was withdrawn due to concerns over the phrase "to the extent required by federal law" in the first paragraph. We have been told that one of the Committee members will offer a floor amendment to HB 461 to include the protections of HB 637, to ensure that "voluntary" really means voluntary. This floor amendment is critical to making sure that people are not misled or coerced into participating in NAIS.
HB 461 will now go to the Calendar Committee to be set for a vote by the full House. If it goes smoothly, HB 461 could be voted on by the full House as early as next week. As soon as we have a copy of the floor amendment or a date for the vote, we will send out another alert. But don't wait! Call your State Representative NOW and tell him or her:
- Vote YES on the floor amendment to HB 461, which should include provisions for: (1) full disclosure; (2) right to withdraw; and (3) no discrimination against people who do not participate in NAIS.
- Then vote YES on the amended HB 461.
If you do not know who your State Representative is, go to:
www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/
See which legislators have, and have not, co-authored an anti-NAIS
bill at:
farmandranchfreedom.org/content/texas-legislators.
Get talking points and a sample letter for contacting your legislator at farmandranchfreedom.org/content/talking-points.
Be sure to specify that you support a floor amendment to HB 461 to provide for full disclosure, the right to withdraw, and to prevent coercion! You can ask your legislator to look at the provisions in HB 637 as an example.
Read more about all the anti-NAIS bills introduced in Texas at:
farmandranchfreedom.org/content/texas-status
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at:
noah@libertyark.net or
contact FARFA at info@farmandranchfreedom.org