Nebraska bill to curb NAIS becomes law!
Nebraska law allowed the state agency to implement NAIS anytime it wanted to. The Nebraska Legislature has just
passed LB632, which would:
- insert language making premises registration and "other components" of a national animal identification
system voluntary
- require the Department of Agriculture to establish a system for removing people from the premises
registration database
LB 632 was signed by the Governor on Tuesday, February 14, and is the new law of Nebraska! This is a great step
for Nebraska and the whole anti-NAIS movement! Of course, limiting the program to a “voluntary” one
is just the first step, although an important one. LB 632 did not include provisions explicitly against coercion
(being forced to provide premises registration when applying for state programs, for example) or against misleading methods
being used. But since the existing law would have allowed the agency to implement a mandatory program, this is still
a significant step forward, and hopefully additional bills can be passed in the future to address these other issues.
To read the bill, go to www.nebraskalegislature.gov and type in 632 in the bill lookup box in the upper right hand corner.
