The Florida House on Wednesday, March 6, gave final approval to a wide-ranging bill that would ban cultured, or lab-grown, meat and local regulation of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.
The Republican-controlled House voted 86-27 to approve SB 1084, with the bill finally ready to go to Governor Ron DeSantis. SB 1084 would make several modifications related to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS).
Democrats fixated on parts of SB 1084 that would ban the sale and manufacture of cultivated meat, which DeSantis has condemned as "fake meat," and prevent local governments from regulating EV vehicle charging stations.
Rep. Lindsay Cross (D-St. Petersburg) claimed that both bans were meant to "stop innovation, put barriers on the free market and to lock [Florida] into existing frameworks."
Meanwhile, Rep. Christine Hunschofsky (D-Parkland) insisted that the "food fight" section of SB 1084 "sends a bad message" to researchers and investors about lab-grown meat.
Hunschofsky added that the move could discourage manufacturers from working in Florida because "they don't know what day of the week that the Legislature will be OK with them being in the state of Florida."
"Moon meat" is fine if developed for astronauts
House bill sponsor Danny Alvarez (R-Hillsborough County) said that there are still questions about the safety of lab-grown meat. He explained that selling cultivated meat needs to wait, adding that research over time could help confirm that "it is viable for consumption."
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He noted that the bill is being passed because they "know that Florida agriculture can hold us down and provide plenty of safe, quality beef and agricultural products." Alvarez also said lab-grown meat is being banned in Florida to help protect consumers.
The measure, which passed the Senate early in March, would allow research into cultivated meat. Production involves a process of taking cultured cells from animals and growing them in controlled settings to produce food.
A potential research ban was removed from earlier versions of the bill due to worries that such a ban could affect the space industry, which is also considering the development of lab-grown meats for long-term space journeys.
Rep. Dean Black (R-Jacksonville) clarified that while it's fine to develop "Moon meat" for astronauts, cattlemen like himself won’t support it. (Related: FDA approves lab-grown meat produced by Chinese firm linked to biowarfare program.)
"They can make it on the Moon and export it to Mars, and it’s fine to have Martian meat as well," Black said, adding that he supported SB 1084 because you shouldn't be able to buy lab-grown meat in Florida, or anywhere in the United States.
Under SB 1084, selling or manufacturing lab-grown meat will be considered a second-degree misdemeanor. Additionally, the bill would put oversight of EV charging stations under the FDACS, which regulates pumps at gas stations. Florida has at least 3,230 public charging stations in 44 of the 67 counties.
According to a staff analysis of the bill, electric cars made up at least three percent of cars sold in Florida from July 2020 to July 2021.
A 2021 state law already prohibits local governments from mandating such things as EV charging stations on gas retailers. That law was enforced after a move by Petaluma, California, to ban new gas stations with the intention of fast-tracking the shift to electric cars.
Watch the video below of "The Dr. Jane Ruby" show to learn more about lab-culture meat and the potential cancer risks of consuming it.
This video is from the High Hopes channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
Florida lawmakers advancing bills to block the sale of LAB-GROWN MEAT in the Sunshine State.
Biden admin backs LAB-GROWN MEAT made of CANCER cells as the "food of the future."
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