Utah Rep. Introduces Bill To Make Filming Farm Abuse A Major Crime, Praises Industry Donor “Friends”

[Report1212]

Utah Rep. John Mathis (R) has introduced a bill that would criminalize individuals who take undercover video footage at factory farms, a practice which is often done to expose the abuse of animals and conditions that would make food unsafe for human consumption. The bill would make this filming a Class A misdemeanor and a third-degree felony on the second offense, the same as assaulting a police officer.

At a hearing about his bill that took place earlier this month, Mathis praised the presence of individuals from the agriculture industry. “It’s fun to see my good Ag friends in this committee,” Mathis said. “All my good friends are here.” One can interpret Mathis’s comments as praising an industry he is ideologically predisposed to, or perhaps as the legislator complimenting his personal friends.

However, what Mathis did not reveal in his comments was that both of the apparent “friends” he was praising were also a major donor to his campaign. One of the individuals who testified that day was Mike Kohler of the Utah Dairy Producers (sometimes called the Dairy Producers of Utah). The other individual who testified was Sterling Brown of the Utah Farm Bureau.


Read more: http://www.republicreport.org/2012/utah-rep-intros-factory-farm-bill/

[NRaleighLiberal]

1. such Hubris. (also, Hypocrisy). It's what the "R" really stands for.

[AtomicKitten]

2. Documenting abuse at factory farms is just about the only way to stop the abuse.

This reminds me of when the Abu Ghraib abuses were made public and the only response from Rumsfeld was to prohibit cameras.

[jsmirman]

3. This bill is utter madness

anyone who lives in Utah should call his or her legislators to oppose a bill that is about as backwards as a bill could be.