Synopsis of Food Laws Pending and Passed In State Legislatures. The following tabulated and compiled list of Food Laws pending in the various states will be found to be of great value to our readers and will keep them informed on proposed Food and Sanitary Legislation. The list is as complete as could be made possible up to the date of going to Press (March 15th.) The states are arranged in alphabetical order, the Senate Bills being Recorded first, the House Bills following; wherever it was possible we have shown number of Bill, the introducer and to what committee referred and what action if any the committee has taken, also recording Bills passed and date of adjournment of the Legislature. The list is corrected monthly until all the different Legislatures have adjourned. We will from time to time print in full all Bills passed and approved until all new Food Legislation is recorded in our columns. Editor's Note: A number of the so-called Pure Food Journals have copied our list as published last month without giving credit. The records found below are keyed and any paper copying this list will be good enough to credit the same. SENATE BILL NO. 782. By. Mr. Birdsall, Feb. 1, 1909. Referred to Committee on Public Health and Quarantine. Is a bill to prevent the refilling of soda water bottles and other bottles by parties not the owners of said bottles. SENATE BILL NO. 936. By Mr. McCartney, Feb. 8, 1909. Referred to Committee on Public Health and Quarantine. Is an act to amend Section 4 of the present Food Law of California. The Ninth Definition of adulteration reads: "Ninth. If it does not conform to the standards of purity therefor as promulgated by the Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture." Amended in Senate February 11th. This bill has been recommended for passage by the committee. This bill has passed the Senate and has been recommended for passage by the House Committee. SENATE BILL NO. 1004. By Mr. McCartney, Feb. 10, 1909. Referred to Committee on Public Health and Quarantine. Relates to dairy products. SENATE BILL NO. 1179. By Mr. Martinelli, February 12th. Referred to Committee on Agriculture, etc. Amended in House February 20. Relating to the inspection of bakeries in California. This bill recommended for passage. HOUSE BILL NO. 179. By Mr. Transue, Jan. 11, 1909. Referred to Committee on Labor and Capital. This bill has passed the House. HOUSE BILL NO. 412. By Mr. Collier, Jan. 14, 1909. Referred to Committee on Labor and Capital. Relates to bakeries. HOUSE BILL NO. 1155. By Mr. Maher, February 10, 1909. Referred to Committee on Public Health and Quarantine. Amends Section 4 of the present food law of California. The 9th definition of adulteration reads as follows: "Ninth. If it does not conform to the standard of purity therefor as promulgated by the Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture." The Committee has recommended this bill for passage. By Mr. Butler, February 12th. Relates to dairy products and Committee has recommended it for passage. Colorado. SENATE BILL NO. 85. By Mr. Twining. Is a sanitary measure and affects only those maintaining establishments in Colorado. This bill has been advanced to second reading in the Senate. SENATE BILL NO. 218. Is a duplicate of the Food Commissioners' Uniform Food Bill and adopts the Standards incorporated in that bill, and is identical with H. B. 320. Has been recommended for pas sage. SENATE BILL NO. 219. By Senator Croke. Is a bill to appoint a Food and Drug Commissioner for the State of Colorado, and State Pure Food and Drug Commission. The enforcement of the food and drug laws to be taken away from the State Board of Health and placed in the hands of the Food and Drug Commissioner and the Food and Drug Commission thus created and provides that the Food and Drug Commissioner shall be learned in Chemistry and Drug, Sanitary and Food Science. SENATE BILL NO. 281. By Mr. Skinner. Relates to the sanitary condition of dairies and dairy prod ucts. SENATE BILL NO. 402. Is a certified milk bill and has been recommended for passage. HOUSE BILL NO. 205. By the Hon. Mrs. Lafferty. Relates to the sanitation of food establishments. HOUSE BILL NO. 308. By Mr. Daily. Relates to the fixing of standards for weights and meas ures. This bill has been killed. HOUSE BILL NO. 320. Is a bill to establish standards of purity for foods and food products, and is the same as S. B. No. 218 and has been recommended for passage. Idaho. The Legislature of Idaho adjourned March 5th. Relates to commercial feeding stuffs. HOUSE BILL NO. 172. By Committee on Public Health. Is a bill to abolish the Board of Dairy, Food and Oil Commissioners and transfer the duties of said board to the State Board of Health; and for other purposes. Section 1145 gives the State Board of Health power to establish standards, the same to be in harmony, as near as possible, with the Standards of the United States Department of Agriculture. Section 1149. Provides that goods found to be illegal shall be confiscated. This bill has passed the House and Senate and has become a law. Referred to Committee on Food and Dairy Products. Is a bill to amend the present food law of Iowa, in such a way as to require, among other things, a statement of the net weight or measure of the contents. The bill reads as follows: "The word 'Commissioner,' whenever used in this act, shall be taken to mean the State Food and Dairy Commissioner herein provided for. The word 'food' as herein used, shall include all articles used for food, drink, confectionery or condiment by ran or domestic animals, whether simple, mixed or compound. The term 'misbranded' as used herein, shall apply to all articles of food, or articles which enter into the composition of food, and package or label of which shall bear any statement, design or device regarding such article, or the ingredients or substances contained therein which shall be false or misleading in any particular, and to any food product which is falsely branded as to the State, Territory or Country in which it is manufactured. "For the purpose of this act an article of food shall be deemed to be misbranded if the package or label shall fail to bear a correct statement of the net weight or measure of the contents; provided, that this provision shall not apply to goods in hermetically sealed tins, nor to goods put up by the retailers in the ordinary course of retail business; provided that no penalties shall be imposed for the sale of goods misbranded as to weight or measure when proof is given that the weight or measure of contents is less than stated upon the label by reason of natural evaporation of moisture and that the package was truthfully labeled in good faith when packed; provided no penalties shall be imposed for the sale of goods not labeled as to weight or measure when proof is given that said goods were in the state of Iowa before the fourth of July, 1909." HOUSE BILL NO. 320. By M. Hanson. This bill amends sec. 4999 A. 25 and fixes a minimum penalty for violating the Pure Food Law at $10.00. HOUSE BILL NO. 321. By Mr. Hansen. This bill provides that Oysters shall not contain ice nor more than 16 2-3 per cent free liquid, by weight. HOUSE BILL NO. 348. By Mr. Sullivan. Referred to Committee on Judiciary. Prevents the unlawful refilling of bottles or other receptacles by firms not the owners of the same. Kansas. Legislature adjourned March 10th. SENATE BILL NO. 134. This bill has passed both Houses and has gone to the Governor, who says he will sign it. Section 15 of the bill was amended as follows: "A slight variation from the stated weight, measure or quantity for individual packages, is permissible, provided this variation is as often above as below the weight or measure or quantity stated." This bill has passed both houses and is now the law of the State and will be published in full in the April number of THE AMERICAN FOOD JOURNAL. SENATE BILL NO. 135. Referred to Committee of the Whole Senate. Is a bill to amend the existing food law of Kansas as follows: First. Section 3 of the 266th chapter of the Session Laws of 1907 is amended as to give the State Board of Health the power to establish standards of quality, purity and strength for all foods, drinks and drugs sold in Kansas, and makes it an offense punishable by a fine to violate any such standards when established. Second. Section 7 of Chap. 266 of the Session Laws of 1907 is amended as follows: (1) So as to make the National Formulary official at time of sale, one of the standards for drugs. (2) It amends the fourth definition of adulteration so as to read: "If it be mixed, colored, powdered, coated, stained or otherwise treated in a manner whereby damage or inferiority is concealed, or whereby it is made to appear better than it really is. Third. It amends Section 8 of Chap. 266 of the Session Laws of 1907 as follows: (1) It exempts physicians' prescriptions, labeled with directions for use, from the provisions requiring a statement of the presence of certain drugs. (2) It amends Section 8 so as to provide that an article of food shall be deemed to be misbranded if the label "omit to state the presence of any artificial coloring matter contained therein." This would require all candy and soda water and all articles of food or drink containing artificial color to state that fact on the label. (3) It subjects all proprietary foods and drinks to the provisions of any rules or regulations the State Board of Health may make. Fourth. It amends Section 11 of Chapter 266, Session Laws of 1907, by increasing the number of food and drug inspectors. Fifth. It amends Section 14 of Chap. 266, Session Laws of 1907. so as to make the standards established by the United States Secretary of Agriculture the standards of Kansas only until the State Board of Health of Kansas establishes standards and publishes them, which time the Board of Health standards shall be the standards of Kansas, and shall be obeyed under penalty of a fine. The law has other slight immaterial amendments. Is a bill to prohibit the sale of any beverage containing any alcohol whatever. Under this bill practically all non-alcoholic drinks, such as soda water, ginger ale, etc., would be prohibited, because under a decision of the Iowa Supreme Court the words "any alcohol whatever" would be held to include even a trace, and practically all soft drinks, contain at least a trace of alcohol. About same as S. B. 411. This bill was killed in Committee. HOUSE BILL NO. 294. By Committee on Hygiene and Public Health. It is the same as Kansas Senate Bill No. 135, and has been substituted for this bill. HOUSE BILL NO. 441. By Mr. R. J. Hopkins, Jan. 27, 1909. Referred to Committee on Live Stock. Relates to concentrated feeding stuffs. This bill has passed the House and referred to Committee on Hygiene in Senate. HOUSE BILL NO. 437. By Mr. Foley. Is a bill to prevent bleaching of flour. HOUSE BILL NO. 489. Relates to dairy products and creates standards for ice cream. HOUSE BILL NO. 788. Relates to the Sanitation of Food producing establish ments. Maine. SENATE BILL NO. 39. Relates to dairy products. SENATE BILL NO. 108. Relates to fertilizers, commercial feeding stuffs and agricultural seeds. This bill has passed the House. HOUSE BILL NO. 7. Relates to dairy products. HOUSE BILL NO. 10. Is a bill relating to dairy products. HOUSE BILL NO. 16. Is a bill relating to dairy products. HOUSE BILL NO. 204. Relates to Dairy Products. HOUSE BILL NO. 210. (New Draft.) Relates to the Sale of Milk. HOUSE BILL NO. 220. (New Draft.) Relates to the Sale of Milk. Massachusetts. SENATE BILL NO. 92. Relates to dairy products. HOUSE BILL NO. 200. Referred to Committee on Health. This bill codifies the laws relating to Foods and Drugs. HOUSE BILL NO. 807. Referred to Committee on Mercantile Affairs. Is a bill to compel any person, firm or corporation operating a soda fountain for the sale of soda water to obtain a license for one year. The license fee to be $10 for each draught arm or similar device used in drawing soda water. HOUSE BILL NO. 865. Relates to the sanitation of food producing establishments. Establishes a standard for vinegar. HOUSE BILL NO. 1036. Relates to the sale of vinegar. HOUSE BILL NO. 1017. Relates to dairy products. HOUSE BILL NO. 1098. HOUSE BILL NO. 140. Referred to Committee on Public Health. Regulates the manufacture and sale of Ice Cream. It fixes a standard at 12% of butter fat instead of 8%. It requires percentage of gelatine or vegetable gums used to be stated on the label. It requires manufacturers of Ice Cream to take out a license each year and pay a fee of five dollars for same. It requires any dispenser of Ice Cream containing gelatine or vegetable gum to display a placard reading "We use Ice Cream Containing Gelatine." |