SB544: Bill Text

LRB-4419/1

JAM:skw

2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE

2023 Senate BILL 544

October 23, 2023 - Introduced by Senators Quinn, Tomczyk and Spreitzer, cosponsored by Representatives Moses, Allen, Armstrong, Behnke, Bodden, Brandtjen, Dittrich, Edming, Goeben, Gundrum, Gustafson, S. Johnson, O'Connor, Ortiz-Velez, Penterman, Rozar, Schmidt, Schutt, Snyder and Sortwell. Referred to Committee on Agriculture and Tourism.

SB544,1,3 An Act to create 97.50 of the statutes; relating to: labeling a food product as containing lab-grown animal cells, providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures, and providing a penalty.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Under this bill, no person may sell or offer for sale a food product that contains cultured animal cells or cultured animal tissue derived from cultured animal cells unless the food product is labeled as containing lab-grown animal cells. The bill defines “animal” as a mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, or mollusk. The bill also requires the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection to promulgate emergency rules to implement the prohibition in the bill.

For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

SB544,1 Section 1. 97.50 of the statutes is created to read:

SB544,1,7 97.50 Labeling food products that contain cultured animal cells or tissue. (1) In this section, “animal” means a mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, or mollusk.

SB544,2,3 (2) No person may sell or offer for sale a food product that contains cultured animal cells or cultured animal tissue derived from cultured animal cells unless the food product is labeled as containing lab-grown animal cells.

SB544,2,7 (3) A person who violates sub. (2) may be fined not less than $100 nor more than $500 or imprisoned for not more than 3 months, or both, for a first offense, and may be fined not less than $500 nor more than $1,000 or imprisoned for not less than 6 months nor more than one year, or both, for each subsequent offense.

SB544,2 Section 2. Nonstatutory provisions.

SB544,2,15 (1) Emergency rulemaking. The department of agriculture, trade and consumer protection shall promulgate emergency rules under s. 227.24 necessary to implement s. 97.50. Notwithstanding s. 227.24 (1) (a) and (3), the department is not required to provide evidence that promulgating a rule under this subsection as an emergency rule is necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health, safety, or welfare and is not required to provide a finding of emergency for a rule promulgated under this subsection.

SB544,3 Section 3. Effective dates. This act takes effect on the day after publication, except as follows:

SB544,2,19 (1) The treatment of s. 97.50 takes effect on the first day of the 7th month beginning after publication.

SB544,2,20 (End)