ARIZONA STATE SENATE

RESEARCH STAFF

KATI PRATT

ASSISTANT RESEARCH ANALYST

JASON THEODOROU

LEGISLATIVE RESEARCH ANALYST

REGULATORY AFFAIRS & GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY COMMITTEE

Telephone: (602) 926-3171

TO:                  MEMBERS OF THE SENATE

REGULATORY AFFAIRS & GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY COMMITTEE

DATE:            February 17, 2025

SUBJECT:      Strike everything amendment to S.B. 1721, relating to egg-laying hens; housing size standards

Purpose

Prohibits the Arizona Department of Agriculture (AZDA) from adopting rules that require or prescribe minimum housing size standards for egg-laying hens.

Background

The AZDA protects consumer safety, facilitates commerce, promotes equity in the Arizona marketplace and safeguards market access both domestically and internationally through a variety of inspection, licensing, and certification programs involving: 1) plants; 2) livestock; 3) meat;
4) dairy; 5) vegetables; 6) citrus; 7) fruit; 8) eggs; 9) feed fertilizer; 10) seed; 11) agricultural and nonagricultural pesticides; 12) packaged consumer goods, 13) retail pricing; and 14) commercial weight and measuring devices (A.R.S. Title 3).

Statute outlines the powers and duties of the AZDA relating to the regulation of egg and egg products that include: 1) prescribing minimum standards for egg processing plants and sanitary standards for processing shell eggs; 2) acquiring and distributing useful information relative to preparing for market, handling, transporting, storing and marketing eggs and eggs products in accordance with the uniform standards and grades prescribed in the regulation of eggs and egg products statutes; and 3) establishing an egg promotion program to provide certification, inspection and grading services and prescribing, by rule, fees for those services (A.R.S. § 3-710).

There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.

Provisions

1. Prohibits the AZDA from adopting rules that require or prescribe minimum housing size standards for egg-laying hens.

2. Makes technical changes.

3. Becomes effective on the general effective date.