North Carolina Farmer's Freedom Protection Act

[GunnyFreedom]

I just submitted a bill to the Bill Drafting department. They are waiting until the finalized version of S.510 is produced in order to detail what protections exactly are needed, but we should have the NCFFPA ready to file extremely early -- during the first week if not on the first day.

The basic idea is to specify via the 10th Amendment that all foodstuffs produced in and remaining within the borders of the State of North Carolina are not subject to Federal law or Federal regulation. This will at the very least protect our State's farmer's markets, as well as preserve local food coops and direct-from-farmer purchases of food.

More details to follow. I should have a bill number by February 1st or 2nd. Bills cannot even be filed (to get a bill number) until January 28th or 31st. Text of the Act should be available around January 14th.

[malkusm]

Sweeeeeeeeeeeet!!!!!!!!!!!

[olehounddog]

BRAVO my good man. I'll give a plug at the county gop meeting this Sat.

[Working Poor]

thanks gunny

[CaseyJones]

Rep this Man! I am out :p

[jdmyprez_deo_vindice]

Please keep this updated and when we have the language of the bill in front of us than I will print some copies and take them up to Annapolis and challenge our state legislators to introduce the same legislation here in MD.

[TCE]

Awesome.

[Chester Copperpot]

NIce..... when its done ill forward it to one of our legislators here in NJ.. maybe we can get everybody on board with this.

[libertybrewcity]

vell done! Keep up the good work!

[MozoVote]

It would really be something to see the state GOP legislators repudiate Senator Burr's bill.

[aclove]

No kidding. Bet you won't see Stam or Tillis co-sponsoring this one any time soon.

[BenIsForRon]

Great job Gunny! I would venture to say that produce at farmers market has a better track record than FDA inspected processed foods.

[cbc58]

do you have anyone wanting to co-sponsor? way to go gunny.

[GunnyFreedom]

do you have anyone wanting to co-sponsor? way to go gunny.

I'll be working on that through January prior to opening day. I hope to have 4 primary sponsors and some cosponsors to the bill lined up prior to filing it.

[muzzled dogg]

My man

[Cowlesy]

Gunnyfreedom literally writing Bills to protect freedoms!!!!!!!!!

[aclove]

Gunny, Chad Adams has had me on his radio show two weeks in a row now to discuss S. 510, and Burr was on there last Thursday defending his vote. I've sent a Facebook message to he and his producer to see if they're interested in having you on to talk about your Farmer's Freedom Bill. Let me know if you hear anything back from them about it; I think it'd make for some great publicity and help recruit co-sponsors.

[KCIndy]

Rep this Man! I am out :p


Done! :)


And many, many many thanks to Gunny for standing up for freedom!!!

[sratiug]

I just submitted a bill to the Bill Drafting department. They are waiting until the finalized version of S.510 is produced in order to detail what protections exactly are needed, but we should have the NCFFPA ready to file extremely early -- during the first week if not on the first day.

The basic idea is to specify via the 10th Amendment that all foodstuffs produced in and remaining within the borders of the State of North Carolina are not subject to Federal law or Federal regulation. This will at the very least protect our State's farmer's markets, as well as preserve local food coops and direct-from-farmer purchases of food.

More details to follow. I should have a bill number by February 1st or 2nd. Bills cannot even be filed (to get a bill number) until January 28th or 31st. Text of the Act should be available around January 14th.

Bill drafting department? What is that? It should be a very short bill, no? How about this...

"Food production in North Carolina shall not be regulated or taxed by any federal law or treaty."

I don't see the need to specify where the food goes so I see that part as pandering to federal goons. The feds have no authority to regulate the production of food. Let them inspect trucks at the border if they really want to know where it goes.

Keep up the great work, by the way. You are an inspiration to us all.

[seeker4sho]

Great! In addition, I suggest Genetically Altered Foods produced outside of the State of North Carolina, such as Chimeras (the recently announced salmon for example), should be inspected and approved by the State Health Department before they are allowed to be sold to the people. The Federal Goverment should not regulate our food supply. The people have a right to know what they are eating.

[BenIsForRon]

Gunny, let me know if you meet any resistance to this bill.

I live out here in Boone were there is a huge constituency of local food advocates. I know some people who could send out a few emails that could get some big exposure and lots of phone calls for this bill.

[libertybrewcity]

are you going to submit a raw milk bill? or is it legal already in NC?

[Romantarchist]

Glen Bradley = awesome. I will be emailing/calling my state reps. here in Arizona to ask them to protect our state's produce from the FDA including nullifying S. 510 and they'll be sent a copy of the FFPA once the text becomes available.

[RPLiberty1]

Way to go Gunny!

Make sure it includes - the produce, the means of production and the producers shall not be regulated by the Federal government.

[GunnyFreedom]

I will be adding the 10th Amendment Center's model legislation to the tools the bill drafting department has to draw from.

And wrt sratiug, it is a lot more difficult to write shorter bills at the State level because of all the specific requirements identifying what code gets modified and how. So far from what I have seen, the Bill Drafting Department here is above board and top notch. They will write you a bill to demand that pink unicorns fly in orbits around the State Capitol if that's what you ask for, and make it as bulletproof as a reinforced squad of lawyers know how. Since my many requests for lawyers to help draft bills has been met with only one law student willing to lend a hand, I'll be leaning pretty heavy on the Bill Drafting Department to put the structures together that those who are helping me and I can go back and refine.

[GunnyFreedom]

Way to go Gunny!

Make sure it includes - the produce, the means of production and the producers shall not be regulated by the Federal government.

Good suggestion. I will try and get ahold of the 10thA Ctr's model legislation and modify it to that extent, and then provide that to the BDD's resources for drafting this bill. Thanks!

[GunnyFreedom]

Glen Bradley = awesome. I will be emailing/calling my state reps. here in Arizona to ask them to protect our state's produce from the FDA including nullifying S. 510 and they'll be sent a copy of the FFPA once the text becomes available.

Thanks man, hopefully we will be able to produce a slew of 10th A stuff that gets modeled all over the nation. ;) The NCFFPA is just a first step, and one that is likely to get decent reception from incoming tea-party influenced types as well as some Dems across the aisle. It will take a crapton of work going person to person to person to build the coalition on it, but I think it's well within the realm of possibility.

This is, I believe, not JUST about model legislation but also about developing a process that allows our type of bills to move within relatively establishment environments.

[GunnyFreedom]

are you going to submit a raw milk bill? or is it legal already in NC?

I don't actually know, but i don't think so. Isn't the raw milk thing Federal? If so, then the NCFFPA would cover it, being foodstuffs produced and retained in NC. Just so long as said raw milk does not cross State borders, then the NCFFPA should protect it from Federal regulation.

[GunnyFreedom]

Gunny, let me know if you meet any resistance to this bill.

I live out here in Boone were there is a huge constituency of local food advocates. I know some people who could send out a few emails that could get some big exposure and lots of phone calls for this bill.

Thanks man, I have no doubt that I'll be calling on the NC grassroots to raise cain at some point or other, I do not know if the NCFFPA will require that or not at this point. One thing I want to be cautious about is I don't want to 'pull the trigger' so to speak on the grassroots harassment on a bill that stands a good chance of passing without it. Oh, of course people can call up and pressure their reps on their own, but I do think that asking for a concerted effort whe it is not needed will cause two major problems, 1) crying chicken little all the time will make the grassroots less energized to help when it is actually needed, and 2) annoying the heck out of other legislators when it is unnecessary will burn bridges I may need one day.

I will certainly keep everybody up to date on the ins and outs of this bill. Thanks!

[GunnyFreedom]

Great! In addition, I suggest Genetically Altered Foods produced outside of the State of North Carolina, such as Chimeras (the recently announced salmon for example), should be inspected and approved by the State Health Department before they are allowed to be sold to the people. The Federal Goverment should not regulate our food supply. The people have a right to know what they are eating.

This sounds like a good idea for another, different, bill. I'm going to try avoiding stacking disparate concepts together into a single bill, that always seemed wrong to me. I'm thinking a GMO bill may require all GMO goods imported into the State of NC require clear labeling for the consumer identifying it as containing GMO material.

Now to make that work we have to come up with a good, legal definition of "GMO."

I'll open another thread on that subject within the next 24 hrs to discuss how best to do that.

[GunnyFreedom]

Bill drafting department? What is that? It should be a very short bill, no? How about this...

"Food production in North Carolina shall not be regulated or taxed by any federal law or treaty."

I don't see the need to specify where the food goes so I see that part as pandering to federal goons. The feds have no authority to regulate the production of food. Let them inspect trucks at the border if they really want to know where it goes.

Keep up the great work, by the way. You are an inspiration to us all.

Thanks man!

It's a lot more difficult to keep bills short and easy at the State level than at the Federal level. The reason is that State Constitutions are based on implied powers whereas the Federal Constitution is based on enumerated powers.

Plus, there is a requirement in NC State law that bills identify specifically what aspects of existing NC Code get modified and exactly how. that means you actually need lawyers to put that together so you know the proper references to make and avoid leaving gaping holes that can be end run around.

Plus, if you fail to define the origin and destination, then the Federal Courts will shut it down instantly. You cannot apply the 10th A to food originating out of State or being shipped out of State. The SCOTUS has decided that all interstate trade can be regulated in detail per the interstate commerce clause.

It does little or no good to pass legislation if it's just going to get shot down by the Federal Courts within a week or a month after it gets signed by the Gov. So I will be doing this right, and building it strong in a way that other States will find it useful to model.

[BenIsForRon]

Thanks man, I have no doubt that I'll be calling on the NC grassroots to raise cain at some point or other, I do not know if the NCFFPA will require that or not at this point. One thing I want to be cautious about is I don't want to 'pull the trigger' so to speak on the grassroots harassment on a bill that stands a good chance of passing without it. Oh, of course people can call up and pressure their reps on their own, but I do think that asking for a concerted effort whe it is not needed will cause two major problems, 1) crying chicken little all the time will make the grassroots less energized to help when it is actually needed, and 2) annoying the heck out of other legislators when it is unnecessary will burn bridges I may need one day.


Yeah, if it has enough support, then of course we should leave well-enough alone.

I just know that Big-Ag has a big presence in NC, and I don't know how many of your peers are bought out.

[sratiug]

Thanks man!

It's a lot more difficult to keep bills short and easy at the State level than at the Federal level. The reason is that State Constitutions are based on implied powers whereas the Federal Constitution is based on enumerated powers.

Plus, there is a requirement in NC State law that bills identify specifically what aspects of existing NC Code get modified and exactly how. that means you actually need lawyers to put that together so you know the proper references to make and avoid leaving gaping holes that can be end run around.

Plus, if you fail to define the origin and destination, then the Federal Courts will shut it down instantly. You cannot apply the 10th A to food originating out of State or being shipped out of State. The SCOTUS has decided that all interstate trade can be regulated in detail per the interstate commerce clause.

It does little or no good to pass legislation if it's just going to get shot down by the Federal Courts within a week or a month after it gets signed by the Gov. So I will be doing this right, and building it strong in a way that other States will find it useful to model.

I don't see why North Carolina law would reference federal requirements so I wouldn't think there would be any modification of existing code required. I'm sure I'm probably wrong about that though, lol.

I'd submit the simple all encompassing version and let the courts fight it out since we all know the SCOTUS rulings on interstate commerce are complete shit. I don't see the value in following their made up rules, they will only rule that you can't do this either. How are the firearms acts doing? Are the feds respecting them because they are limited in wording to products that remain in the state? No one can know where things will go once they are made so I don't think states will get any legal cover from SCOTUS by trying to tiptoe around federal rules. And the 10th amendment says you don't have to.

[GunnyFreedom]

I don't see why North Carolina law would reference federal requirements so I wouldn't think there would be any modification of existing code required. I'm sure I'm probably wrong about that though, lol.

North Carolina law modifies North Carolina State Code, not US Code. Those are the modifications which need to be specifically spelled out.


I'd submit the simple all encompassing version and let the courts fight it out since we all know the SCOTUS rulings on interstate commerce are complete shit. I don't see the value in following their made up rules, they will only rule that you can't do this either. How are the firearms acts doing? Are the feds respecting them because they are limited in wording to products that remain in the state? No one can know where things will go once they are made so I don't think states will get any legal cover from SCOTUS by trying to tiptoe around federal rules. And the 10th amendment says you don't have to.The courts don't fight it out unless there is someone who has been directly impacted taking it to law. The courts will, however, strike down laws it believes that the Legislature has passed while on a drunken holiday somewhere. ;)

This has nothing to do with Federal regulations whatsoever. I'm not sure where you got the idea I was talking about Federal regulations. I am talking about the US Constitution's Interstate Commerce Clause, the US Constitution's Article 6 Supremacy Clause, and the 10th Amendment Reserved Powers Amendment. Those provide and describe the correct avenue for writing 10th Amendment legislation.

As someone who has in the past sworn an oath to uphold and defend the US Constitution, and someone who will again shortly be taking an oath to uphold and defend both the US and the NC State Constitutions, I have to be very careful to propose law that does not violate either the State or the Federal Constitution. To do otherwise would be a violation of my principle which I simply cannot abide.

ETA -- Oh, and the reason the Firearms Freedom Acts don't seem to have that much impact and are going rounds int he Federal Courts, is because that legislation did not go through the careful crafting that I am taking to put the NCFFPA together. The FFA's just kinda write down whatever they thought should be the law and then said "here, deal with it."

Instead, I am working to write a bill that goes further and leaves no questions unanswered for the courts to gripe about. That way once it passes it takes effect and actually WORKS.

I want to do more here than just make a statement, I want to make a difference. That takes diligence and planning.

[GunnyFreedom]

Yeah, if it has enough support, then of course we should leave well-enough alone.

I just know that Big-Ag has a big presence in NC, and I don't know how many of your peers are bought out.

Somehow I think it will meet more resistance from the Governor than anywhere else. That's OK though, a gubernatorial veto on a bill like this will help us find a friendlier Governor who will actually sign the bill in 2013. :D

[klamath]

This sounds like a good idea for another, different, bill. I'm going to try avoiding stacking disparate concepts together into a single bill, that always seemed wrong to me. I'm thinking a GMO bill may require all GMO goods imported into the State of NC require clear labeling for the consumer identifying it as containing GMO material.

Now to make that work we have to come up with a good, legal definition of "GMO."

I'll open another thread on that subject within the next 24 hrs to discuss how best to do that.

Gunny good work on the bill. Be careful of this GMO thing though. You go down that path and you open the state up to regulations on everyones food fear. Fearing GMO's is big around here but believe me other consituencies have their own food fears and if one group can have their feared food regulated why can't others have their feared food regulated? This is where we got to today is the incremental laws of everyones pet idea.
California passed a proposition quite a few years ago requiring all products that have ever been suspected of causing cancer be listed on a warning label. Just about every product in california can be linked to Suspected cancer causing agents so about everything here has a warning label on it. Even my skidsteer tractor has a label warning of cancer because it uses diesel.

[GunnyFreedom]

Gunny good work on the bill. Be careful of this GMO thing though. You go down that path and you open the state up to regulations on everyones food fear. Fearing GMO's is big around here but believe me other consituencies have their own food fears and if one group can have their feared food regulated why can't others have their feared food regulated? This is where we got to today is the incremental laws of everyones pet idea.
California passed a proposition quite a few years ago requiring all products that have ever been suspected of causing cancer be listed on a warning label. Just about every product in california can be linked to Suspected cancer causing agents so about everything here has a warning label on it. Even my skidsteer tractor has a label warning of cancer because it uses diesel.

I certainly understand your caution, and I agree with it. Honestly all I'd want is a label stating that the product contains GMO foodstuffs. The better solution would be to figure out how to make an end-run around Monsanto's having BLOCKED other foodstuff providers from freely labeling their products "non-GMO" lest they fall under a lawsuit.

Maybe a better approach would be granting explicit permission for non GMO foods to be labeled such without falling in danger of civil action for having done so? Expanding freedom instead of adding a mandate.

[klamath]

GunnyFreedom;3021989]I certainly understand your caution, and I agree with it. Honestly all I'd want is a label stating that the product contains GMO foodstuffs. The better solution would be to figure out how to make an end-run around Monsanto's having BLOCKED other foodstuff providers from freely labeling their products "non-GMO" lest they fall under a lawsuit.

Maybe a better approach would be granting explicit permission for non GMO foods to be labeled such without falling in danger of civil action for having done so? Expanding freedom instead of adding a mandate That's the way. Dang it is neat to advise a lawmaker. Wish you were in North California, not North Carolina.:D

[GunnyFreedom]

That's the way. Dang it is neat to advise a lawmaker. Wish you were in North California, not North Carolina.:D

That will be quite a bit more difficult, but certainly the correct approach. The first step along that road is still to come up with a legal definition of "GMO" though. Then work on how to set up civil immunity to maximize liberty and free markets in a way that allows people to choose non GMO.

A good idea for a brainstorm thread. ;)

[aclove]

ETA -- Oh, and the reason the Firearms Freedom Acts don't seem to have that much impact and are going rounds int he Federal Courts, is because that legislation did not go through the careful crafting that I am taking to put the NCFFPA together. The FFA's just kinda write down whatever they thought should be the law and then said "here, deal with it."


Does this criticism apply as well to the NCFFA that you authored last year? If so, does that mean you'll be doing a re-write on it before filing it?