Five Republican senators today, Aug. 5, introduced a bill intended to halt California’s Proposition 12, which would require that meat sold but not produced in the state comes from animals whose living conditions conform with the animal rights standards in the proposition.

Conservatives maintain that Proposition 12 violates the commerce clause of the Constitution, which provides the federal government with the duty to regulate interstate commerce, but the courts have not agreed with that viewpoint.

Republican Sens. Roger Marshall of Kansas, Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst of Iowa, John Cornyn of Texas and Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi introduced the Exposing Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act

“This will prevent states like California from radically regulating Kansas, Texas, and Mississippi ranchers or Iowa pork and poultry producers,” they said in a news release. Several other states have adopted or contemplated laws that would impact the agricultural production outside their state, they noted.

“Mississippians don’t like the idea of liberal states like California imposing their radical ideas on us or dictating how our farmers and ranchers do their jobs,” said Hyde-Smith.

“I’m sure that’s the case from coast to coast,” she said. “This pro-ag, pro-jobs legislation would establish a federal standard that fosters greater interstate commerce among states without interference from activist city or state governments.”