SB313 Alabama 2015 Session

Updated Feb 27, 2026

Notable

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Tom Whatley
Republican
Session: Regular Session 2015
Title: Agriculture and Industries Department, laboratory testing, authorized to be performed by federal government or other state governments, Secs. 2-2-33, 2-2-35 am'd.
Summary: SB313 lets Alabama's Department of Agriculture and Industries use labs operated by the federal government or other states to perform required tests and analyses, and expands related lab operations and enforcement provisions.
What This Bill Does
It authorizes the commissioner to delegate laboratory tests to federal or other state laboratories with Board approval, and allows the results to be used for enforcing laws and regulations. It authorizes and funds the creation of swine disease and poultry disease diagnostic laboratories, with testing for those diseases performed at these facilities. It updates multiple sections to allow testing and analysis to be conducted by external laboratories under the overarching framework, and makes certificates from those labs admissible as evidence in court. It also aligns related sections on seed testing, feeds, pesticide residues, and standards to conform to the delegations of testing to external labs.

Who It Affects
The Department of Agriculture and Industries and its staff, who gain authority to delegate lab work to external laboratories and rely on their results.
Farmers, livestock producers (swine and poultry), seed and feed industries, pesticide residue stakeholders, and the general public, who may experience expanded testing capacity, faster results, and stronger enforcement reliability through external laboratory testing.

Key Provisions
Authorizes the Commissioner to delegate laboratory tests/analyses to laboratories operated by the U.S. government or other state governments, with approval of the State Board of Agriculture and Industries.
Allows test results from external laboratories to be used for the execution or administration of laws or rules imposed on the Commissioner or Board.
Makes certificates of analysis from external laboratories admissible in court as prima facie evidence, when properly verified.
Creates and funds swine disease diagnostic laboratory, with testing for swine diseases allowed at the designated lab.
Creates and funds poultry disease diagnostic laboratories, with testing for poultry diseases allowed at the designated labs.
Allows testing/analysis of commercial feeds and related areas to be performed through external laboratories under 2-2-33, including enforcement procedures, sampling, and penalties.
Allows seed division to delegate testing of tree/shrub seeds to the USDA Forest Service or other approved seed laboratories, while maintaining enforcement responsibilities for seed sales.
Expands the pesticide residue laboratory’s authority to obtain reliable analyses of various agricultural and food products to protect public health and support markets, in addition to existing duties.
Updates and aligns related sections (weights and measures; petroleum standards) to conform to the delegation of testing to external laboratories.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.
Subjects: Agriculture and Industries Department