Governor Bill Haslam has vetoed the so-called “Ag-Gag” bill, which would have required evidence documenting animal abuse to be turned over to law enforcement within 48 hours.
In a statement released Monday morning, Haslam said he had carefully considered the matter and decided to veto the measure.
Haslam cited more than one concern with the bill, not the least of which was the state Attorney General’s opinion that it was “constitutionally suspect.”
“Agriculture is the number-one industry in Tennessee,” Haslam said Monday. “Farmers play a vital role in our state's economy, heritage and history. I understand their concerns about large scale attacks on their livelihoods. I also appreciate that the types of recordings this bill targets may be obtained at times under false pretenses, which I think is wrong,” the governor shared.
The bill passed the Senate easily, but in the House it garnered the bare minimum needed, 50 votes.
Animal-rights activists claimed the measure was designed to prevent whistleblowers from collecting evidence of ongoing patterns of abuse.
“Our office has spent a great deal of time considering this legislation,” Haslam said. “ We’ve had a lot of input from people on all sides of the issue. After careful consideration, I am going to veto the legislation.
“Some vetoes are made solely on policy grounds,” the governor continued. “Other vetoes may be the result of wanting the General Assembly to reconsider the legislation for a number of reasons. My veto here is more along the lines of the latter. I have a number of concerns.”
Haslam said the bill apparently improperly repealed parts of existing laws in addition to its unsteady constitutional footing.
“First, the Attorney General says the law is constitutionally suspect,” Haslam said. “Second, it appears to repeal parts of Tennessee’s Shield Law without saying so.  If that is the case, it should say so.
“Third, there are concerns from some district attorneys that the act actually makes it more difficult to prosecute animal cruelty cases, which would be an unintended consequence.”
 “For these reasons,” Haslam said, “I am vetoing HB1191/SB1248, and I respectfully encourage the General Assembly to reconsider this issue.”