LA Action Alert - HB150 Support Local Food (5/7 at 9:30am-House Cmte)

Tell Committee Members to Vote YES on HB 150

Support Local Food in Louisiana

House Bill 150 (HB 150) is before the House Health and Welfare Committee. A hearing has been scheduled for May 7th, Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. in House Committee Room 5.

HB 150 is a great bill that would significantly improve upon Louisiana’s current cottage foods law. Under current law there is a cap of $30,000 on sales of homemade food; HB 150 would lift the cap so there would be no limit on sales. Current law only allows cottage foods to be sold direct to the consumer; the bill allows the sale of shelf-stable foods to retail stores as well. The bill also expands the kinds of foods that can be sold; HB 150 allows the sale of potentially hazardous foods. (foods requiring time and temperature control) direct to the consumer (only pasteurized milk can be used in the preparation of a cottage food).

Homemade food producers are exempt from licensing and inspection; however, nothing in the bill “shall interfere with the Louisiana Department of Health’s authority to investigate and respond to a report of foodborne illness, including issuing an order to a preparer to cease selling food that is unwholesome.” There are labeling requirements for the producers, and anyone operating under HB 150 must register with the state and obtain a sales tax certificate.

Please support this groundbreaking legislation to grow Louisiana’s local food system.

ACTION TO TAKE

1. Testify in favor of HB 150 at the hearing, 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 7th, in House Committee Room 5 located in Alario Hall on the basement floor. You must register to testify in person by completing the “green” Witness Card. Testimony from existing homemade food businesses will especially help. See Citizen’s Guide for more details to attend in person.

Email statements for public record to h-hw@legis.la.gov no later than 9:30 a.m. Tuesday (May 6th) at least 24 hours prior to the meeting.

2. Call and/or email members of the House Health and Welfare Committee asking them to vote YES on HB 150. Calls are best but please do both. It is especially important to contact a committee member if you are a constituent. You can use any of the Talking Points below. Member contact information is listed at the end of this email.

You may copy/paste the following block of addresses to email the entire House committee:

millerd@legis.la.gov; hse038@legis.la.gov; hse044@legis.la.gov; hse066@legis.la.gov; crewsr@legis.la.gov; hse064@legis.la.gov; hse014@legis.la.gov; hse074@legis.la.gov; hse016@legis.la.gov; hse100@legis.la.gov; hse002@legis.la.gov; mcmahenw@legis.la.gov; hse045@legis.la.gov; stagnij@legis.la.gov; hse012@legis.la.gov; devillierp@legis.la.gov; hse027@legis.la.gov

3. Call and/or email your state representative and ask them to support HB 150. Again, calls are best, but please do both.

Enter your street address to find your state legislators at https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/FindMyLegislators.aspx

TALKING POINTS

1. HB 150 is a jobs bill giving cottage food producers an opportunity to make a living and help support their families by selling homemade food; it’s not possible to make a living under the current cap with today’s levels of inflation and the rising cost of food ingredients.

2. Passage of HB 150 will lead to greater food choice for consumers and to increased access for locally produced foods, keeping more of the food dollar in the community.

3. Cottage foods have a great track record for food safety; foodborne illness outbreaks attributed to cottage food producers are almost non-existent. All 50 states have cottage food laws; the majority of them have no cap on revenues.

4. HB 150 will improve food security by increasing the number of local food producers and making the state more self-sufficient in food production.

5. HB 150 will require labeling of homemade foods, enabling consumers to make an informed decision about the foods they are purchasing.

Further alerts will be sent on HB 150 as events warrant.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Contact information for the full House Health and Welfare Committee, including the name of legislative assistants with whom you can speak along with phone, fax and email.

Miller, Dustin [D-40], Chair

P: (337) 943-2900

F: (337) 943-2902

E: millerd@legis.la.gov

Legislative Assistant: Kristina Martel

Butler, Rhonda Gaye [R-38], Vice Chair

P: (337) 363-3900

F: (337) 363-3903

E: hse038@legis.la.gov

Legislative Assistant: Deborah Lawson

Berault, Stephanie H. [R-76]

P: (985) 640-9795