House Sponsors: FRITCHEY-BIGGINS-MAY-FLOWERS-FEIGENHOLTZ, BURKE, LANG, ZICKUS, BELLOCK, KURTZ, DELGADO, FRANKS, MATHIAS AND YARBROUGH. Short description: LAYING HEN PROTECTION ACT Synopsis of Bill as introduced: Creates the Safe Egg and Laying Hen Protection Act. Prohibits the use of forced (starvation-induced) molting procedures. Makes violation a Class A misdemeanor. Provides for administration by the Department of Agriculture. Authorizes additional rulemaking to protect laying hens. Authorizes civil penalties and certain enforcement actions. Effective immediately. FISCAL NOTE (Illinois Department of Agriculture) HB 756 would impose a cost of $290,000 a year upon the De- partment of Agriculture to implement. This total represents $180,000 to hire five full-time inspectors, $80,000 to purchase vehicles for the inspectors, and $30,000 for miscellaneous operating costs associated with implementing HB 756. As the Department does not currently regulate laying hen operations or know how many exist in Illinois, this cost figure could poten- tially be higher, depending upon the number of such operations within the State. HOUSE AMENDMENT NO. 1. Deletes provisions relating to USDA and close-confinement cages. Last action on Bill: SESSION SINE DIE Last action date: JAN-07-2003 Location: House Amendments to Bill: AMENDMENTS ADOPTED: HOUSE - 1 SENATE - 0 END OF INQUIRY Full Text Bill Status