Freedom Caucus Statement on Bill that Broadens Bureaucratic Authority
February 4th, 2025 - Harrisburg
HB 324, a Democrat-led initiative aimed at curbing avian flu, hands unlimited authority to unelected bureaucrats under the banner of an “emergency.” Reminiscent of the COVID era overreach that a majority of Pennsylvanians voted to restrain, this measure would give the Department of Agriculture the power to shut down not just large-scale farms but residential chicken coops as well.
At the discretion of the Secretary, government agents might soon enough be visiting your backyard chicken pen in the name of safety.
The avian flu is a serious matter, and the bill’s proposal to add trained poultry technicians to the roster at large poultry farms is an agreeable step to stifle the spread, but handing unlimited quarantine power to a government department is NOT an acceptable response to the problem.
42 “No” votes on what was advertised as a benign, bi-partisan solution should signal to the Republican Senate that this bill must be amended to limit the power of the Secretary of Agriculture. It’s our hope that the finished product utilizes the poultry technician concept while not volunteering sweeping powers to unelected department heads.
This is apparently a national effort by the socialist Democrat machine. The same tactic is being undertaken in the Florida Legislature. It deserves a lot of scrutiny by the GOP at the State and National level.