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Illinois Legislature Online Illinois Department of Agriculture |
Liberty Ark State Coordinator
Stan & Janet Hunter
Liberty Ark Supporters
in Illinois
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Illinois HB 5776 passed the Senate! This bill does two things: (1) forbids the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) from requiring premises registration or NAIS electronic identification for participating in fairs, unless required by federal law and (2) requires the IDOA to develop a procedure for people to withdraw from NAIS, so that the thousands of people who have already signed up can get back out. The Senate version of the bill is different from the House version, so the bill has gone back to the House. Either the House will have to concur in the Senate version, or the Senate will be asked to concur in the House version. The difference between the two versions is not related to NAIS. Rather, it’s a provision which would strip the Governor and agency of rulemaking authority without legislative approval. The provision was added to many of the bills in the House and is about the balance of power between the branches of government. The Senate removed the provision. Please call both your state Senator and Representative to urge their continued support for HB 5776. We also need calls to Speaker Madigan. TAKE ACTION 1.) Call your Illinois Representative and Senator. Click here to find who represents you. Remember, HB 5776 is a state bill, so look for your state legislators’ information. You can also call the Illinois Legislature's information line at 217-782-3944 and ask to be connected to your Representative’s and Senator’s offices. MESSAGE: “I am a constituent who is against the National Animal Identification System. I appreciate Representative (or Senator) _________ voting yes on HB 5776 when it came to the floor. Now that the Senate and House have passed different versions, I am asking that he (she) set aside any other issues and help pass HB 5776.” 2.) Call House Speaker Madigan at 217-782-5350. MESSAGE: “Please call HB 5776 for a vote.” ADDITIONAL INFORMATION There is a lot of debate around a provision that was added to HB 5776 in the House. This provision would strip the Governor and agency of rulemaking authority without legislative approval. The provision was added to many of the bills in the House and has nothing to do with NAIS -- it is about the balance of power between the branches of government. The Senate Agriculture Committee removed the provision. So, assuming HB 5776 passses the Senate, either the House will have to concur in the Senate version or the Senate will have to concur in the House version. In other words, there’s major risk that the bill could die because of disagreements that have nothing to do with NAIS. So it’s important to call BOTH your Senator and Representative, and be clear that you want them to pass HB 5776. Ask them to set aside the other issues, and agree that NAIS should not be forced on our children and that people should be able to withdraw from it. Calls Needed in Illinois Illinois HB 5776 is heading for the “3rd reading” and vote on the Senate floor this week! This bill does two things: (1) forbids the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) from requiring premises registration or NAIS electronic identification for participating in fairs, unless required by federal law and (2) requires the IDOA to develop a procedure for people to withdraw from NAIS, so that the thousands of people who have already signed up can get back out. Below is a list of the Illinois Senate sponsors. If your Senator has sponsored the bill, please call and say thank you! It is important that they hear that their constituents appreciate their sponsorship, so that they don’t change their minds. If your Senator has not yet sponsored the bill, please call and make sure that they intend to vote yes. It’s also critical that you call your Illinois Representative. HB 5776 was amended by the Senate Agriculture Committee, and so the bill will go back to the House for concurrence. The session adjourns on May 29, so time is running very short! Please call now! Click here for talking points and more information about NAIS and Illinois, or contact the Liberty Ark Coalition at libertyark@freedom.org TAKE ACTION 1.) Contact your Illinois Senator. You can look up who represents you here. Remember, HB 5776 is a state bill, so look for your state legislators’ information. You can also call the Illinois Legislature's information line at 217.782.3944. Current Senate sponsors of Illinois HB 5776: Pamela J. Althoff If your Senator is already a co-sponsor, call and tell them “Thank you for supporting HB 5776 and independent agriculture in Illinois.” If your Senator is not already a co-sponsor, call and urge him or her to vote yes on HB 5776! 2.) Contact your Illinois Representative. You can look up who represents you here. Remember, HB 5776 is a state bill, so look for your state legislators’ information. You can also call the Illinois Legislature's information line at 217.782.3944. MESSAGE: “Vote yes on HB 5776 when it comes back to the House.” ADDITIONAL INFORMATION There is a lot of debate around a provision that was added to HB 5776 in the House. This provision would strip the Governor and agency of rulemaking authority without legislative approval. The provision was added to many of the bills in the House and has nothing to do with NAIS - it is about the balance of power between the branches of government. The Senate Agriculture Committee removed the provision. So, assuming HB 5776 passses the Senate, either the House will have to concur in the Senate version or the Senate will have to concur in the House version. In other words, there’s major risk that the bill could die because of disagreements that have nothing to do with NAIS. So it’s important to call BOTH your Senator and Representative, and be clear that you want them to pass HB 5776. Ask them to set aside the other issues, and agree that NAIS should not be forced on our children and that people should be able to withdraw from it. Illinois is one of the states where children are required to register in NAIS in order to be part of the county and state fairs. HB 5776 was filed to reverse that policy. HB 5776 is finally moving! This bill does two things: (1) forbids the Illinois Department of Agriculture from requiring premises registration or NAIS electronic identification for the fairs, unless required by federal law and (2) requires the IDOA to develop a procedure for people to withdraw from NAIS, so that the thousands of people who have already signed up can get back out. HB 5776 is scheduled for a hearing before the Senate Agriculture Committee this Wednesday, May 14 and is expected to head to the Senate floor quickly. Below is a list of the Senate sponsors. If your Senator has sponsored the bill, please call and say thank you! It is important that they hear that their constituents appreciate their sponsorship, so that they don’t change their minds. If your Senator has not yet sponsored the bill, please call and make sure that they intend to vote yes. TAKE ACTION Contact your Senator. You can look up who represents you here. Remember, HB 5776 is a state bill, so look for your state legislators’ information. You can also call the Illinois Legislature's information line at 217-782-3944. Current Senate sponsors of HB 5776: If your Senator is already a co-sponsor, call and tell them “Thank you for supporting independent agriculture by sponsoring HB 5776.” If your Senator is not already a co-sponsor, call and ask him or her to become one! Background on NAIS in Illinois and HB 5776 The Illinois Department of Agriculture was requiring children to register in NAIS in order to be part of the county and state fairs. HB 5776 was filed to reverse that policy. On April 1, the House unanimously voted yes on HB 5776. This bill would stop the IDOA from requiring NAIS premises registration or electronic identification for people competing in the state fairs. HB 5776 also provides an explicit right to withdraw from the program. On April 18, the IDOA announced that it is reversing its policy and making premises registration voluntary for state fair exhibitors. This is great news, but it does not end the fight! We still need the Illinois Legislature to pass HB 5776: Take Action 1) Call and ask your Senator to co-sponsor the bill. You can look up who represents you here. Remember, HB 5776 is a state bill, so you want to contact your State Legislators. You can also call the Illinois Legislature's information line at 217-782-3944. 2) Educate your community. Download materials from our Take Action or Articles page, and put them out at feed stores, riding stables, auction barns, farmers markets, co-ops, etc. We need everyone to know what NAIS ais and what they can do about it! Download this Illinois-specific flyer with contacts for the Senate Agriculture Committee. HB 5776 was unanimously approved by the House of Representatives! On April 1, the House unanimously voted yes on HB 5776. This bill would stop the IDOA from requiring NAIS premises registration or electronic identification for people competing in the state fairs. HB 5776 also provides an explicit right to withdraw from the program. The bill has been sent to the Senate Rules Committee, which will assign it to a substantive Senate Committee. We will monitor the situation closely and let people know if calls to the Rules Committee members are appropriate. The Senate and the Rules Committee are dealing with political issues that have nothing to do with NAIS, but which have to be sorted out before bills are expected to move. Right now, focus your calls on your own Senator. The more co-sponsors the bill has, the more pressure there will be to move the bill forward. Take Action 1. Call and ask your Senator to co-sponsor the bill. You can look up who represents you here. Remember, HB 5776 is a state bill, so you want to contact your State Legislators, not your Congressional delegation. You can also call the Illinois Legislature's information line at: 217.782.3944. 2. Educate your community. Download materials from our Take Action or Articles page, and put them out at feed stores, riding stables, auction barns, farmers markets, co-ops, etc. We need everyone to know what NAIS is and what they can do about it! Download this Illinois-specific flyer with contacts for the Senate Agriculture Committee. HB 5776 was unanimously approved On March 4, the House Agriculture Committee voted to approve an amended version of HB 5776 by a 10-0 vote! The amended version is much stronger than the original bill, and included all of the amendments we asked for and more! It (1) removed the loophole that would have allowed the fair board and IDOA to require NAIS if they agreed; (2) added an explicit provision for withdrawing from the program; (3) added a ban on requiring NAIS-compliant electronic ID; (4) added poultry and rabbits to the protections of the bill; and (5) states that the agency does not have rulemaking authority under the bill. HB 5776 is expected to go to the floor of the House very soon! Take Action 1) Contact your Representative. If you don't know who they are, click here. MESSAGE: Please co-sponsor HB 5776 and vote YES Ask to speak to the Representative. If he or she is not available, talk with the staff. Ask them what they already know about NAIS, explain your objections to it, and respond to the issues they bring up. Some talking points are below. Stay in touch through email after the phone call, so that they know you really care about this issue. 2) Contact your Senator. If we succeed in the House, the next step will be the Senate. It's the same message as for your Representative, just be clear that the bill is still in the House and your phone call is looking towards the future. 3) Educate your community. Download materials from our site, and put them out at feed stores, riding stables, auction barns, farmers markets, co-ops, etc. We need everyone to know what NAIS is and what they can do about it! **Illinois-specific flyer coming soon!** TALKING POINTS ABOUT NAIS
MORE INFORMATION ON HB 5776 HB 5776, as originally filed, stated: Sec. 205-26: Fairs; premises ID numbers. The Department shall not require a premises identification number to exhibit or enter livestock or horses at any fair or exhibition in Illinois, unless required by federal law or regulation without first receiving approval for such a requirement from the governing board of the fair or exhibition. We asked for several amendments: (1) removing the last clause to create an absolute bar; (2) provide a right to withdraw; (3) add poultry, since NAIS covers them; (4) prohibit NAIS-compliant electronic identification requirements. We got everything we asked for and more! Amended version of HB 5776, Sec. 205-26. Fairs; premises ID numbers. The Department shall not require a premises identification number or electronic identification under the National Animal Identification System to exhibit or enter livestock, poultry, rabbits, horses, or any other animal at any fair or exhibition in Illinois, unless required by federal law or regulation. The Department shall develop a process for persons to withdraw from the National Animal Identification System registration, and that process shall provide for the removal of a person's information from the Department's database. The Department shall also cooperate with the United States Department of Agriculture to provide for people to withdraw from the federal database. ... [additional language addressing rulemaking authority that appears to be included on all bills at this time] Say Thanks! Tell the members of the House Committee on Agriculture "Thank you" for approving HB 5776 and the amendments!
MESSAGE: “THANK YOU for approving the amended version of HB 5776. More Information Although premises registration has been the focus of the publicity to date, it looks like it's not stopping there! The February/March edition of the Illinois Leader, the publication for 4-H Leaders, states:
We've been told that these are not 840 NAIS-compliant tags and that they can be removed after the Fair. But we do not have that in writing. Even if that is true, this procedure sets the stage for requiring NAIS-compliant tags. So we asked for an amendment to HB 5776 to prevent this from evolving into NAIS tagging (see above). |
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