HF 589 Criminalizes Investigations of Animal Cruelty and Other Serious Crimes at Factory Farms

(February 29, 2012) -- The Humane Society of the United States urged Gov. Terry Branstad to veto notorious Iowa "ag gag" bill, HF 589, that would criminalize the investigation of animal cruelty, worker abuse, sexual harassment and other serious crimes at farming operations.

"The intent of this bill is simple: shield animal agribusiness from public scrutiny by punishing whistleblowers and protecting animal abusers," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States in a letter urging Gov. Branstad to reject the bill. "By signing this bill into law, animal agribusiness will have unbridled and unchecked power over worker safety, public health and animal welfare."

On Tuesday, the Iowa state legislature rushed the bill through both the Senate and House of Representatives at a speed rarely found in the legislative process. Normally, deliberations of such consequence take weeks, or at least several days.

Critics question the constitutionality of HF 589 as an infringement on the First Amendment, and a broad spectrum of national interest groups have spoken out against state ag gag bills, including organizations for animal protection, civil liberties, public health, food safety, environmental, food justice, legal, workers' rights and First Amendment interests.

Undercover investigations in Iowa over the past three years have consistently revealed alarming conditions on factory farms, causing a public backlash and demands for higher standards on farms.

Undercover investigations have also played a vital role on the national level in exposing animal welfare and food safety issues related to industrialized agriculture. In 2008, an HSUS undercover investigation of a slaughter plant in Chino, Calif. resulted in the largest meat recall in the nation's history. The meat suppliers faced a $150 million lawsuit for sending meat from sick and injured animals to the federal school lunch program and the investigation revealed horrific animal abuse.

Facts

• Last year, special interests in four states succeeded in having ag gag bills introduced. None passed.
• A similar bill was defeated in Florida in January 2012, but other ag gag bills remain active in Utah, Nebraska, Minnesota, Missouri, Illinois, New York and Indiana.

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Obesity has become such an epidemic in the United States, the FDA is considering approving a new prescription weight-loss drug - despite safety concerns about it.

It seems the health effects of being overweight override officials' concerns about Qnexa, a drug the FDA rejected two years ago.

That shocks weight-loss expert Don Ochs, who says neither diets nor drugs are effective, long-lasting solutions.

"When you understand the biology behind burning off fat versus packing it on, the whole notion of starving yourself on a low-calorie diet is absurd," says Ochs, developer of the physician-recommended Mobanu Integrated Weight Loss Solution (www.mobanu.com). "And certainly taking a drug that can damage your heart is out of the question."

Here's what people should know about biology and weight loss, Ochs says.

• Your body was designed to temporarily store fat because food was not consistently available to our ancestors. They relied on that stored fat to get them through famines, winters and dry seasons. That worked very well until we made huge advances in agriculture and food supplies became abundant and consistently available.

• When food is plentiful, your body will quickly burn fat deposits - those bulges you want to get rid of - for energy. When food is scarce, it burns fat more slowly, to help ensure your survival. That's why simply eating less is not the best way to lose weight. A low-calorie diet actually tells your body to store fat because food is in short supply.

• You can control whether or not your body stores fat for survival or dumps it for an upcoming time of plenty by sending it the right signals. The types of food you eat, and how much you eat of them, send biologically ingrained messages to your body about whether to store fat or burn it - just like flipping a switch.

• Your body is very efficient at converting certain types of food to fat. These were the foods with natural carbohydrates that were available to our ancestors before a dry season or another winter, such as apples, which ripen in the fall. If you eat these foods, your body interprets it as a signal that lean times are coming so guess what? It starts stocking up on the stored fat.

To address his own weight problem, Ochs spent years studying the biology of fat burning versus fat storing based on research conducted at The Mayo Clinic and the National Institutes of Health. From that perspective he figured out how to recognize when the foods he ate were signaling his body to produce a lot of insulin, which results in storing fat instead of burning it off.

"When you feel very sleepy after a meal, or when you're full and yet you still crave food, those are signals that you've flipped the switch and turned on your insulin production," he says. "How many carbohydrates flip that switch is different for every person based on genetics.

Losing weight by working with biology and your own individual, genetically encoded insulin triggers is natural and a prescription for long-term success. It doesn't mean you can eat whatever you want and never exercise, but it does mean you'll feel full and satisfied and have lots of energy. And keep the weight off.

About Donald Ochs

Donald Ochs is a Colorado entrepreneur, the president and CEO of Ochs Development Co. and M4 Group, an inventor and sports enthusiast. He developed the Mobanu weight loss system based on research conducted at The Mayo Clinic and the National Institutes of Health. The program is endorsed by physicians, nutritionists and exercise experts.

Des Moines, February 29, 2012–AARP called on the Iowa Legislature to professionalize Iowa's largest workforce - Direct Care Workers, asking the question, "Is Iowa Prepared to Care?" for our rapidly aging population during a news conference this morning at the Iowa Statehouse.

AARP Iowa State Director Kent Sovern urged Iowa's lawmakers to take action and pass Senate File 2298, a bill to boost professionalism among direct care workers by establishing core state standards for training and create career pathways for advance and specialization, and creates a Board to oversee these professional standards.  "AARP is pleased and proud to champion this effort to professionalize this workforce," said Sovern.

With an estimated 73,000 direct care workers in Iowa, these paid caregivers make up the largest segment of Iowa's workforce.  Moreover, demand for direct care services is high and growing.  Iowa will need an additional 12,000 direct care workers by 2012.  High turnover is a persistent challenge.

AARP Iowa State President Tony Vola addressed how this legislation will meet the needs and expectations of the more than 375,000 AARP members in Iowa for quality care.  "It is interesting to note that seven years ago, 8 out of 10 AARP Iowans surveyed said it is important for Iowa to certify direct care workers, and about a quarter of them said they think these workers are already licensed.  This bill provides a great platform for training; it provides an entry for people who want to get into the profession; it provides a great acknowledgement for those who are currently in the profession, and most important, it's just the right thing to do," said Vola.

AARP volunteer Ken Crouchman of Clive whose parents are live in assisted living facilities, said staff turnover is a real concern for his family and his parents' quality of care.  "I see the toll that this ever-changing parade of caregivers takes on my parents, and I feel the recommendations of Iowa's Direct Care Workers will help improve their situation.  I believe Senate File 2298 will go a long way to elevate the profession and better serve Iowa's long-term care needs.

Iowa's direct care workers have taken the lead in attempting to address the challenges of turnover and quality assurance by spending the past two years developing the recommendations proposed by Senate File 2298, a groundbreaking approach unlike any other state.

Iowa Caregivers Association Public Policy Consultant John Hale said, "Senate File 2298 puts us on the path to providing the quality of care and services that every Iowan wants for their loved ones and for themselves.  "It's a bill that creates a win-win-win-win: for providers of health and long term care services, for consumers who access those services, for workers who provide the service and for the taxpayers who pay a large portion of the bill.

Senate File 2298 is another example of where Iowa way out in front of the nation.  The work that's being done in Iowa to build a bigger and better direct care workforce, and to enhance the quality of care and services for Iowans, is work that leads the nation," Hale said.

Currently, Iowa has professional oversight boards and requires qualitative credentialing for all plumbers, hair stylists, massage therapists and a host of other occupations, but does not require a similar credentialing for all direct care workers.

"It's time to act to give Iowa's direct care workers the recognition and professional status they want and deserve, and to create the environment necessary for workers to meet the growing health care needs of our state," said Sovern.  "It is time for the Iowa Legislature to support the recommendations of the Direct Care Worker Task Force and professionalize Direct Care Workers by taking action to pass Senate File 2298."

About AARP
AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with a membership that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to either political campaigns or candidates. We produce AARP The Magazine, the definitive voice for 50+ Americans and the world's largest-circulation magazine with over 35.1 million readers; AARP Bulletin, the go-to news source for AARP's millions of members and Americans 50+; AARP VIVA, the only bilingual U.S. publication dedicated exclusively to the 50+ Hispanic community; and our website, AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.