Bill
AB 171
Empowers the State Quarantine Officer to temporarily suspend cage‑free egg rules during national supply crises, with limits on duration, frequency, and notice.
Status: Enrolled and approved by the Governor (Chapter 2, 2025). Introduced January 2025. Sponsors: Assemblymembers Steve Yeager and Howard Watts.
Purpose
- Give the State Quarantine Officer temporary, limited authority to relax Nevada’s cage‑free egg sale restrictions and related regulations during certain national supply‑chain crises (for example, foreign animal disease outbreaks, federally declared disease emergencies, or natural disasters).
Key provisions and changes
- Temporary suspension authority: The State Quarantine Officer may, by order, temporarily suspend provisions of NRS 583.110–583.251 (Nevada’s shell egg / egg product sale and cage‑free requirements) and any related regulations when an ongoing event negatively impacts the national supply chain for eggs.
- Duration and frequency limits:
- Each suspension may not exceed 120 consecutive days.
- No more than two temporary suspensions may be ordered in a single calendar year.
- Actions permitted during a suspension (examples explicitly authorized):
- Temporarily permit the sale of Grade B eggs.
- Temporarily prohibit or limit egg purchases by state agencies or local governments.
- Temporarily allow a farm owner/operator of a small egg flock to sell or transport eggs and egg products to retailers in Nevada.
- Notice and termination:
- A suspension remains in effect until the State Quarantine Officer orders its release.
- The Officer must provide public notice at least 14 days before releasing (ending) a suspension.
- Regulatory and enforcement authority:
- The State Quarantine Officer may adopt regulations governing when and how suspensions are used and requirements during a suspension.
- The Officer is required to enforce these provisions.
- Definitions and exemptions:
- The bill applies existing NRS definitions (e.g., “farm owner or operator,” small flock exemptions). Under earlier NRS text, small flock exemption is for farms producing shell eggs from 3,000 or fewer hens (see NRS 583.235).
- Reporting: The State Department of Agriculture must submit a report to the 83rd Legislative Session and to chairs of relevant legislative committees (per the bill’s reporting provision).
Who is affected
- Egg producers and sellers: Cage‑free producers, conventional/caged producers, and small flock operators (who may be temporarily permitted to sell to retailers).
- Retailers and food‑service businesses: Could face additional sourcing options during suspensions.
- State and local government purchasers: May be temporarily restricted from buying certain eggs during suspensions.
- Consumers and public‑health stakeholders: Potential impacts on availability, pricing, labeling, and — as raised in testimony — food safety and animal‑welfare standards.
- Regulators: State Quarantine Officer and Department of Agriculture gain rulemaking/enforcement responsibilities.
Procedural / timeline notes
- The bill was treated as an emergency measure in committee and on the floor, enrolled, delivered to the Governor, and approved — making it effective upon enactment as an emergency statute.
- Limits built into the statute (120 days per suspension; max two suspensions/year; 14‑day public notice prior to release) constrain the duration and frequency of any temporary relaxation.
Concerns and public testimony
- Opponents (e.g., Animal Legal Defense Fund) argued it would undermine Nevada’s cage‑free standards enacted in prior law (AB 399), risk food safety (e.g., Salmonella), and would not meaningfully lower prices or increase supply during national shortages.
- Some public comment suggested that temporary executive authority (e.g., by gubernatorial order) would be a simpler response than statutory change.
Bottom line
AB 171 creates a narrowly defined emergency tool allowing the State Quarantine Officer to temporarily suspend Nevada’s cage‑free and related egg‑sale requirements during specified national supply‑chain emergencies, subject to time and frequency limits and regulatory oversight. The law balances an emergency response mechanism against existing animal‑welfare and food‑safety policy, and it has drawn both support for supply‑flexibility and opposition over welfare and safety concerns.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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