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Will PA be next state to pass "ag gag" law?
Pennsylvania's General Assembly may be wrapping up for the year, but some lawmakers are looking ahead to the coming session. Among them, apparently, is Lancaster County-based Republican Sen. Mike Brubaker, who this fall introduced Pennsylvania's own version of the "ag gag" laws that have been proposed in some 10 states across the country, and passed in Iowa, Utah and Missouri. The legislation would make it a third-degree misdemeanor to videotape or photograph without permission on a farm, and is plainly a response to an investgation by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) into Kreider Egg Farms in Manheim, Pa., released this past April. The investigation had documented "extreme animal abuse," including severe overcrowding, the finding of dead and mummified bird carcasses inside cages with living hens, hens left without water for days and other gory details.
Will PA be next state to pass "ag gag" law?
Pennsylvania's General Assembly may be wrapping up for the year, but some lawmakers are looking ahead to the coming session. Among them, apparently, is Lancaster County-based Republican Sen. Mike Brubaker, who this fall introduced Pennsylvania's own version of the "ag gag" laws that have been proposed in some 10 states across the country, and passed in Iowa, Utah and Missouri. The legislation would make it a third-degree misdemeanor to videotape or photograph without permission on a farm, and is plainly a response to an investgation by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) into Kreider Egg Farms in Manheim, Pa., released this past April. The investigation had documented "extreme animal abuse," including severe overcrowding, the finding of dead and mummified bird carcasses inside cages with living hens, hens left without water for days and other gory details.
Brubaker, in a statement, said the farm had been "unfairly targeted by activists," and that "this case serves as a startling example of the kind o fdamage that unfounded accusations can create."
Matt Dominguez, an HSUS spokesman, says that he's "very worried" that Brubaker, who is not up for re-election, will re-introduce the bill next session. He's been trying to get the Senator to consider at least consulting with HSUS on any new version of the bill, particularly since he says that the bill, as written, would also make it illegal for whistleblowers to document unsafe working conditions on farms. "While it may not be the intent of the legislation, unfortunately the language is very broad and sweeping." He says that language makes the bill more extreme than "ag gag" laws passed elsewhere, and warns that it may run up against constitutional free-speech protections.
Dominguez also points out that farms are already legally protected against trespassers, and against staged or falsified videos. "The vides being shown by groups like [HSUS] are 100 percent accurate, and the farmers don't like it — which is why farms like Kreider Farms are pushing their legislators" to ban such activities.
CP contacted Sen. Brubaker's office to inquire about his plans to re-introduce the legislation in January. If we hear back, we'll update here.
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