(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson is predicting the U-S House Ag Committee will approve a Farm Bill with a provision that ensures Iowa hog confinement operators can sell their pork nationwide. Voters in Massachusetts and California have approved regulations that require pork sold in their state to come from the offspring of sows that have at least 24 square feet of space in their pen. Iowa pork producers say it will cost millions to expand hog confinements to meet those space requirements.

The U-S Supreme Court has upheld California’s animal welfare law and other federal courts have issued rulings on the Massachusetts regulation. Hinson expects a solution to be attached to the Farm Bill that overrides both states’ laws.

Hinson has twice introduced a bill in the U-S House that would prohibit states from imposing standards on the production of food sold over state lines. The Pennsylvania Republican who’s chairman of House Ag Committee has said a fix is needed to address California’s Proposition 12, which took effect January 1st.