Source:  Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE.COM, 3/8/11

Iowa State Representative Annette Sweeney has introduced a bill that would set penalties for activists who gain employment on farms or in processing facilities under false pretense and secretly take videos.

The bill, H.F. 431, would define shooting undercover video as “animal facility interference” that would be considered an aggravated misdemeanor on the first conviction and a felony for second and subsequent convictions.

A person obtaining access to an animal facility by false pretenses for the purpose of committing an act not authorized by the owner of the animal facility would be guilty of “animal facility fraud” with conviction also considered an aggravated misdemeanor on the first conviction and a felony for second and subsequent convictions.

"We applaud Representative Sweeney's leadership on this important issue, and we encourage our members in Iowa to contact their representatives about H.F. 431," the Animal Agriculture Alliance was quoted by Drover’s CattleNetwork as saying in a statement.

A similar bill is expected to be introduced in the Iowa State Senate.

The full text of the bill is available here. 

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