---

Session of 2000
          HOUSE BILL No. 2712           By Representatives McKinney, Faber, Larkin, P. Long, McClure, Mol-           lenkamp, O'Brien, Phelps and Thimesch           1-25          

---

11             AN  ACT concerning livestock; enacting the competitive livestock mar-
12             kets act; prohibiting certain acts and prescribing certain penalties.
13      
14       Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
15             Section  1. The provisions of this act shall be known and may be cited
16       as the competitive livestock markets act.
17             Sec.  2.  As used in sections 1 through 6, and amendments thereto,
18       "packer" means any person engaged in the business of buying more than
19       5,000 animal units of livestock per year in commerce for purpose of
20       slaughter.
21             Sec.  3. It shall be unlawful for any packer with respect to livestock,
22       meats, meat products, livestock products in unmanufactured form or for
23       any live poultry dealer with respect to live poultry, to:
24             (a) Engage in or use any unfair, unjustly discriminatory or deceptive
25       practice or device;
26             (b) make or give any undue or unreasonable preference or advantage
27       to any particular person or locality in any respect whatsoever, or subject
28       any particular person or locality any unreasonable prejudice or disadvan-
29       tage in any respect whatsoever;
30             (c) sell or otherwise transfer to or for any other packer or any live
31       poultry dealer, or buy or otherwise receive from or for any other packer
32       or any live poultry dealer, any article for the purpose or with the effect
33       of apportioning the supply between any such persons if such apportion-
34       ment has the tendency or effect of restraining commerce or of creating
35       a monopoly;
36             (d) sell or otherwise transfer to or for any other person, or buy or
37       otherwise receive from or for any other person, any article for the purpose
38       or with the effect of manipulating or controlling prices, or of creating a
39       monopoly in the acquisition of buying, selling or dealing in any article, or
40       of restraining commerce;
41             (e) engage in any course of business or do any act for the purpose or
42       with the effect of manipulating or controlling prices, or of creating a
43       monopoly in the acquisition of buying, selling, dealing in any article or of

2
  1       restraining commerce;
  2             (f) conspire, combine, agree or arrange with any other person to ap-
  3       portion territory for carrying on business, to apportion purchases or sales
  4       of any article or to manipulate or control prices; or
  5             (g) conspire, combine, agree or arrange with any other person to do,
  6       or aid or abet the doing of any act made unlawful by subsections (a), (b),
  7       (c), (d) or (e).
  8             Sec.  4. If any person subject to this act violates any of the provisions
  9       of this act, relating to the purchase, sale or handling of livestock, the
10       purchase or sale of poultry or relating to any poultry growing arrange-
11       ment, in consequence shall be liable to the person or persons injured by
12       such violation for full amount of damages sustained such person of such
13       violation.
14             Sec.  5. Every packer, any live poultry dealer, stockyard owner, mar-
15       ket agency and dealer shall keep such accounts, records and memoranda
16       to fully and correctly disclose all transactions involved in such person's
17       business, including the true ownership of such business by stockholding
18       or otherwise. Whenever the attorney general finds that the accounts, re-
19       cords and memoranda of such person do not fully and correctly disclose
20       all transactions involved in such person's business, the attorney general
21       may prescribe the manner and form in which such accounts, records and
22       memoranda shall be kept. Any such person who fails to keep such ac-
23       counts, records and memoranda in the manner and form prescribed or
24       approved by the attorney general is guilty of a nonperson misdemeanor
25       and shall be subject to a fine of not more than $5,000 or imprisoned not
26       more than three years, or both.
27             Sec.  6. The attorney general shall be responsible for enforcement of
28       this act and shall promulgate such rules and regulations and make orders
29       as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this act. The attorney
30       general may cooperate with any state department, agency or any local
31       municipality and any department or agency of the federal government
32       and state, territory, district or possession or department or agency or
33       political subdivision thereof or any person.
34        Sec.  7. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
35       publication in the statute book.