Bill Seeks To Curtail Agricultural Whistleblowing

Should investigate reporting or whistle-blowing be curtailed for Wyoming’s agriculture industry?  That’s what one bill before the state House of Representatives seeks to do.  Teton County Representative Keith Gingery says the bill is being met with mixed favor.  Gingery says the bill came out ofan incident in Wheatland where a group of people hired on at a hog farm and secretly taped abuse of the animals.  That evidence has led to criminal charges against the hog farm owner.  The bill was submitted by some legislators who Gingery says believe that that kind of investigation and whistle-blowing should be a crime.  Gingery says he was opposed to the bill and voted “no,” but the bill passed the House and has gone on to the Senate for consideration there. Aside from other arguments that might be raised about the bill, Gingery says he believes it is fundamentally wrong to set restrictions for one industry but not for others.  Gingery says he does not believe there will be much support for the bill in the Senate.