Governor O’Malley Signs Agriculture Bills into Law

Culmination of a Positive Legislative Session for Farming

ANNAPOLIS, MD (April 13, 2010) – Governor Martin O’Malley today signed into law five agriculture-related bills as the culmination of a positive legislative session for the farm community.  The bills signed today provide more opportunities for landowners to preserve their farmland; increase penalties for veterinary violations; and, authorize the Agriculture Secretary to quarantine farmland and agricultural products with chemical or radiological contamination.

“Working closely with the General Assembly this session, we passed important legislation to expand, enhance, and sustain Maryland’s agriculture industry to keep our State smart, green and growing,” said Governor O’Malley.  “Part of our core mission is to strengthen our family owned farms and businesses and to protect our environment. These bills move Maryland forward helping farm businesses remain profitable, so that the next generation will see farming as a viable career opportunity, and Maryland will preserve its open space and locally-grown food supply.”

“We are very pleased by this year’s legislative session and are already working to get these laws up and running,” said Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance. “We thank Governor O’Malley, the General Assembly, the farm community and the citizens who pushed for passage of these bills.  Their support shows that more people are recognizing how important agriculture is to their lives.”
Agriculture-related bills signed today are:

•    SB 62, which directs revenue collected for licensing and inspecting horse stables to the Maryland Horse Industry Fund to help promote and protect the industry. It also increases the fees for licensing and inspecting horse stables from $75 to $125 to cover the cost of the administration of the program.

•   SB 81, which gives the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners the authority to increase the civil penalty for a licensee from $5,000 to $10,000 for any violation of Board laws or regulations in addition to suspension or revocation of a license.

•    SB 82, which clarifies definitions in Maryland’s Commercial Feed Law to be more consistent with the broadly-endorsed American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) Model Bill and Regulations.

•    SB 90, which provides the Secretary of Agriculture with the authority to quarantine farmland and agricultural products and stop-sale on-farm agricultural products that have been contaminated by a chemical or radiological material or agent after consultation with the Governor and the Secretaries of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Environment.

•    SB 95, which gives the Board of Trustees of the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation explicit authority to acquire preservation easements on farmland in partnership with outside public and private entities.

To see a full listing of bills signed by Governor O’Malley, visit www.gov.state.md.us and to see all bills considered by the 2010 General Assembly log onto www.mlis.state.md.us. The “90-Day Report” on the Maryland General Assembly’s website is organized by subject area for easier reference.

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