Commissioner Sean Jasper urges making food-safety modernization permanent amid repeal confusion

Commissioner Sean Jasper of the Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food told the committee that staff recently discovered a recurring repeal provision that would remove a food-safety modernization statute in June unless corrected. He said New Hampshire has operated under the federal food-safety modernization framework for about 10 years "and we've had no issues with it," and recommended ending the periodic repeal so the state statute stands as long as federal funding is in place.

The commissioner said his staff found the error about a week before the hearing and that the non-germane amendment (14-85 S) fixes the repeal and changes the effective date to upon passage so the Department can remain in compliance. Chair opened the hearing on the amendment and then closed public testimony after hearing support from the New Hampshire Farm Bureau.

Rob Johnson, policy director for the New Hampshire Farm Bureau, testified the amendment is important to farmers and said the statute allows state agencies to implement the program locally rather than relying on federal staff oversight.

The chair described the amendment as a technical correction and asked the committee to adopt the renumbering and the immediate effective date. The committee approved the change by voice vote and moved related items into committee business.

The committee recorded no detailed roll-call vote in the transcript, and the chair subsequently proceeded to other amendments tied to the same bill. The amendment also triggers follow-up clerical work to renumber sections as described on the floor.