New Egg Bill to be introduced soon, sources say

The Egg Bill establishes a roughly 18-year transition period where conventional cages will be phased out and hens will be housed in either enriched cages, pictured here, or in cage-free systems.

A new, slightly revised, Egg Bill is likely to be introduced to both houses of Congress in the next few weeks, according to congressional aides cited in published reports. Chad Gregory, president and CEO, United Egg Producers, would not provide a date for the expected introduction of the legislation. He said that the United Egg Producers are committed to having the legislation reintroduced in Congress and getting it passed before the end of September.
The Egg Bill (H.R. 3798 and S. 3239) was introduced into the last Congress as an amendment to the Egg Products Inspection Act. Proponents of the Egg Bill attempted to have the Egg Products Inspection Act amendment added to the Farm Bill. Work on a new Farm Bill was postponed 12 months as part of the running battle over federal fiscal matters. Congress now has until the end of September 2013 to pass a new Farm Bill.
The United Egg Producers' agreement with the Humane Society of the United States was extended until the end of September of 2013. When asked about any changes in the 2013 version of the Egg Bill versus the prior bill’s language, Gregory said, “The 2013 Egg Bill and the prior Egg Bill differ slightly. We are calling them technical corrections. All [changes] are helpful for egg farmers.”
The United Egg Producers will hold its annual Legislative Meetings May 20-22 in Washington, D.C., and members are sure to spend much of their time on Capitol Hill lobbying their representatives to support passage of the Egg Bill.