1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

Oppose HB 4673, the Save Our Bacon Act, which would strip states of the authority to set animal welfare and food production standards for products sold to their own residents. California's Proposition 12 passed with 63% of the vote because consumers there made a democratic choice about what they buy. HB 4673 would nullify that choice entirely, locking in a "state of origin" rule that lets the lowest-standard producer in any state dictate what every American consumer gets. The Supreme Court already upheld Prop 12 in National Pork Producers Council v. Ross in 2023. Congress should not use the Commerce Clause to override a decision the Court explicitly left to the democratic process. The bill also creates serious unintended risks. Its broad preemption language could reach state food safety standards well beyond animal welfare, and with no federal agency assigned to fill that gap, enforcement falls entirely on private litigation. That is not a national market framework. It is a race to the bottom dressed up as free trade. Vote no on HB 4673.