Marc Roberts
Marc Roberts is the Republican Party nominee for for Utah Representative, District 67 in the November 2016 Election, Utah.
A solid small-government candidate.
Food Freedom Act
Introduced by Marc Roberts, the Food Freedom Act (H.B. 144) would have allowed for local producers to sell their goods directly to in-state end-users with many of the burdensome labeling and licensing requirements removed. (It's modeled after a law that has already been implemented in another state.) The bill was killed (taken out of circulation for consideration) around March 2016.[1]
The Food Freedom Act is reported to be a high priority for Marc Roberts, who said that if he could accomplish just one thing, he would like it to be this bill.[2]
Beekeeping Modifications
Introduced by Marc Roberts, Beekeeping Modifications (H.B. 115), in its original draft, appears to have lightly loosened up some of the regulations on beekeeping and promoted the dissemination of educational materials.[3]
Someone in the House Standing Committee on Natural Resources, Agriculture, and the Environment (specifically, Mike Schultz, representing District 12 out by the Great Salt Lake) proposed an amendment to H.B. 115 which would absolve state agencies working to control mosquito populations from any liability stemming from harm caused to people's bees due to distribution of relevant insecticides through the air, as well as allowing municipalities and counties to establish regulations preventing their residents from keeping bees on their property. (Possibly intended as a poison pill? Though, being out by the Great Salt Lake, perhaps his district has a special interest in being allowed to control mosquito populations more aggressively, and hence, to deprecate the rights of beekeepers. It is hard, however, to see how carpet bombing one's district with toxins, even if putatively to kill mosquitos, is a good idea.) Roberts seems to have reacted by introducing the substitute bill which followed his original bill, but also allowed that people with fewer than 5 hives were exempt from the licensing requirements. The committee then proposed an amendment which essentially gutted the bill, and then failed to pass it on a vote. It went back to the house rules committee, which filed it. (My ie. Took it out of circulation.)
Other Bills
Marc Roberts introduced a constitutional amendment providing that end-user people have the right to grow food on their own land or purchase food directly from a farm without interference from the government. (He also has a bill repealing a minor regulation in the auto industry, another that regulates lobbying by state employees, and another relating to charter schools.)
All of his bills seem to have been given the same treatment by the House Rules Committee at the same time.