Overview
- HB 433 cleared the House Agriculture & Natural Resources Budget Subcommittee on Wednesday as the Senate counterpart, SB 290, remains pending.
- Section 47 would let agricultural producers and groups representing them seek damages for disparagement, defined as knowingly false claims that a food product is unsafe.
- Water and environmental advocates, including Captains for Clean Water co-founder Chris Whitman, warn the provision could chill speech and argue existing defamation law already applies.
- Sen. Keith Truenow and Rep. Danny Alvarez defended the measure in statements, saying it draws a line between honest debate and harmful falsehoods about the food supply.
- Sponsors signaled they will refine the language as the broader agriculture package moves forward, with Alvarez thanking Commissioner Wilton Simpson for support.