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SB 806

An Act providing for unfair methods of competition and for enforcement and penalties.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Lisa Boscola and 16 co-sponsors

Bans confinement of egg-laying hens to non cage-free systems and requires minimum floor space; eggs from violators cannot be sold starting Jan 1, 2030.

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Bill Summary · SB 806

SB 806 — Agriculture: Confinement of Egg‑Laying Hens in Commercial Egg Production — Prohibitions

Purpose

SB 806 prohibits certain confinement systems for commercially produced egg‑laying hens and forbids sale in the State of eggs or egg products produced in violation of that confinement prohibition. The bill is intended to promote animal welfare, protect consumers, and advance food‑safety goals.

Key provisions

  • Prohibition (effective as to confinement practices on or after January 1, 2030):
    • A farm owner/operator may not knowingly confine an egg‑laying hen in an enclosure that is not a “cage‑free housing system.”
    • Minimum usable floor‑space requirements:
    • 1.0 square foot of usable floor space per hen where the cage‑free system provides unfettered access to vertical space (e.g., multi‑tiered aviaries or partially slatted systems).
    • 1.5 square feet per hen where the system does not provide unfettered vertical access (e.g., single‑level floor systems).
  • Sale prohibition (effective January 1, 2030):
    • A business owner/operator or farm owner/operator may not sell shell eggs or egg products that they know or should have known were produced in violation.
    • Good‑faith written certification that eggs/products were not produced in violation is a defense.
  • Definitions:
    • “Cage‑free housing system” requires hens be free to roam, provided environmental enrichments (scratch areas, perches, nest boxes, dust‑bathing areas), and may include multi‑tiered aviaries, partially slatted systems, and single‑level litter systems. Explicitly excludes battery cages and similar cage systems.
    • “Egg products,” “farm,” “sale,” “usable floor space,” and related terms are defined in the bill.
  • Exemptions:
    • Farms producing fewer than 5,000 egg‑laying hens annually are exempt for eggs they sell that were produced on those hens.
    • Short‑term or specific confinements: medical research, veterinary treatment, transport, exhibitions (state/county fairs, 4‑H), and animal husbandry limited to ≤6 hours in 24 hours and ≤24 hours in 30 days.

Enforcement & penalties

  • The Secretary of Agriculture must adopt implementing regulations by July 1, 2027, and administer/enforce the subtitle.
  • Enforcement tools include stop‑sale orders. Civil penalties (per violation) up to:
    • $500 — first violation
    • $1,000 — second violation
    • $2,000 — third or subsequent violation
  • Criminal penalties under general Agriculture Article provisions are not applied to these provisions.

Who would be affected

  • Commercial egg producers, processors, distributors, retailers, and food service operators selling shell eggs or egg products in the State.
  • Small farms producing ≤5,000 hens (exempt under the bill, subject to the exemption’s conditions).
  • Consumers indirectly, via changes in supply chain practices and potential product sourcing adjustments.

Fiscal & economic impact

  • Fiscal note projects no state fiscal effect through FY2029; regulatory development assumed to be accommodated within agency resources. State expenditures and minimal revenues may increase beginning FY2030. The bill may have meaningful impacts on some small and medium‑size businesses required to transition facilities or sourcing.

Timeline & procedural status

  • Introduced: (metadata shows) February 21, 2025; hearing scheduled 2/27 at 1:00 p.m.
  • Regulations deadline: July 1, 2027.
  • Substantive prohibitions and sale ban effective: January 1, 2030.
  • (Fiscal note indicates an overall effective date of June 1, 2025 for the Act’s enactment, with operative provisions effective as noted above.)

Sponsors & related legislation

  • Sponsors (per provided metadata): Fukunaga (primary); Don Harmon (primary).
  • Companion/related bills listed in materials: HB 1480, HB 834; prior session bill SB 193.

If you want, I can:
- Extract the exact statutory language added by the bill,
- Produce a compliance checklist for producers/retailers, or
- Summarize known industry responses and transition options (facility conversions, third‑party certification).

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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