KDSN RADIO News
Iowa House GOP lacks votes to pass liability shield for some farm chemical makers
House Speaker Pat Grassley says a bill that would provide some liability to protect the makers of Roundup and some other farm chemical companies does not have enough Republican support to pass the Iowa House.
“We’d had a lot of conversations…I think a lot of our members see both sides of this issue when it comes to making sure that we have a product that’s actually made here in Iowa, that’s an American made product,” Grassley told reporters this morning. “…I think there’s also some concerns with this, the public perception.”
The bill is a priority for Bayer, the maker of Roundup, which is facing a number of lawsuits from Americans who allege their cancer is connected to their use of Roundup. The bill says farm chemical companies that follow EPA labeling standards cannot be sued for failing to issue health warnings about the products.
Grassley, a farmer from New Hartford, suggested the bill is narrowly focused. “I’m not sure that the bill is being totally digested from the perspective of just from the labeling,” Grassley said. “Some of the narrative that’s been out there maybe distracts from that.”
The bill passed the Iowa Senate last year, and it passed the Senate again last week, but by a narrower margin. Senate President Amy Sinclair, a Republican from Allerton, has been a vocal supporter of the bill.
“I don’t try to tell the House how to do their job. I suppose the House can be entitled to their wrong opinion,” Sinclair said. “I believe wholeheartedly the bill we passed doesn’t prevent anybody from seeking justice if they’re damaged by a company.”
But Sinclair said a company that sells a product with labels that follow federal guidelines shouldn’t face lawsuits alleging the labels are flawed.
