Last week was relatively quiet at the Statehouse as little action was taken by either legislative body during a shortened work week following the turnaround recess. Significant activity is expected in the coming weeks for bills of interest to KLA members.
Fake meat - After House leadership referred HB 2437, KLA’s bill requiring transparent labeling of fake meat, to an exempt committee to keep the bill alive after the turnaround deadline, it was sent back to the House Agriculture Committee last week. The bill will once again be passed through committee, which is a formality. KLA anticipates HB 2437 soon will be brought to the House floor for debate. Members should continue to contact their legislators and express support for the bill as lobbyists for the fake meat industry have continued to try and slow down the process. Contact information for individual Kansas legislators can be found here.
Spill remediation - KLA staff will be testifying this week in the House Agriculture Committee in support of SB 153, a bill proposed by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) to redesign its current spill remediation program. After KLA opposed the bill during the 2019 legislative session, staff worked with KDHE and other stakeholders to ensure animal and crop waste were not defined as pollutants and normal agricultural activities such as fertilizing crops would not be considered release of a pollutant.
Rattlesnake Creek Basin - KLA staff will support SCR 1614, a concurrent resolution urging legislators to support Kansas farmers and ranchers in the Rattlesnake Creek sub-basin in their ongoing effort to protect their water rights and livelihood through a collaborative solution to the region’s water impairment issue.