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Help Stop Iowa Bill To Protect Chemical Companies from Lawsuits
Dear Friend,
We are writing to ask you to help stop legislation in Iowa (SF 394) that will shield pesticide manufacturers from being sued by people who have been harmed by their products. Beyond Pesticides is a national, grassroots organization that represents community-based organizations and a range of people seeking to improve protections from pesticides and promote alternative pest management strategies that reduce or eliminate reliance on toxic pesticides.
SSB 1051 was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee on January 28. The bill was passed by the committee on February 20, and it was refiled as Senate File 394. Legislation is moving fast; however, elected officials must be notified of these threats. SF 394 passed the Senate on March 26 [26-21]. The bill failed to move forward after the House Speaker reported that there were not sufficient votes to move forward "at this time." (as of April 2.) Update—Senate File 394 failed to move forward in the House, leading to a defeat for the second consecutive year!
If this bill were to pass, it would strike a blow to consumer safety for all toxic products. In a climate with less regulation, the ability to sue creates an incentive for manufacturers to develop safer products that protect our health and the environment—not to mention the compensation it provides to those harmed.
Failure-to-warn claims serve as the basis for the overwhelming majority of pesticide injury litigation of the past decade, according to legal professionals, including Brigit Rollins, JD, staff attorney at National Agriculture Law Center. Failure-to-warn is a legal argument grounded in the common law of state court systems across the nation. “Almost every pesticide injury lawsuit filed in the past ten years has included a claim that the pesticide manufacturer failed to warn the plaintiff of the health risks associated with using their product and that such failure caused the plaintiff's injury,” says Ms. Rollins.
Petrochemical-based pesticide manufacturers, predominantly German-owned Bayer-Monsanto, are expanding their all-out push from last year, when bills were introduced in Missouri, Iowa, and Idaho. We mobilized last year with little warning, and we were able to defeat these bills. Currently, bills have been introduced in eleven states and defeated in four. The focus of these bills is to protect chemical corporations, not people.
>> Please ask your state Senator to OPPOSE SF 394 by clicking here.
Thank you for your active participation and engagement! The Action is a multi-step process, so please click submit to proceed to step two, where you will be able to personalize comments before final submission. The comment maximum limit is 4,000 characters, so it may be necessary to delete some of our prepared message text if editing.
For more information, see our Myths & Facts and Iowa resource page, as well as the Failure-to-Warn and Pesticide Immunity Bills resource hub.
Letter to the Iowa Senate [Original Text from April 4, 2025]
I am writing to ask you to oppose SF 394, "An Act relating to pesticides, by providing for tort liability," that will shield pesticide manufacturers from being sued by people who have been harmed by their products. The chemical companies have argued unsuccessfully all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court that they should not be required to warn consumers about the dangers of their products. So now they are asking the Iowa legislature to do what they have not been able to do in the courts—prevent people harmed by toxic products from suing them.
SSB 1051 passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on February 20, and the bill was renumbered as SF 394. SF 394 passed the Senate on March 26 [26-21]. The House bill is expected to be introduced shortly. Stay tuned!
If this bill were to pass, it would strike a blow to consumer and farmer safety for all toxic products. In a climate with less regulation, the ability to sue creates an incentive for manufacturers to develop safer products that protect those who use potentially hazardous materials, public safety, and the health of the environment—not to mention the compensation it provides to those harmed.
Failure-to-warn claims serve as the basis for the overwhelming majority of pesticide injury litigation of the past decade, according to legal professionals, including Brigit Rollins, JD, staff attorney at the National Agriculture Law Center. Failure-to-warn is a legal argument grounded in the common law of state court systems across the nation. “Almost every pesticide injury lawsuit filed in the past ten years has included a claim that the pesticide manufacturer failed to warn the plaintiff of the health risks associated with using their product and that such failure caused the plaintiff’s injury,” says Ms. Rollins. For more information, see Myths & Facts sheet (bp-dc.org/failure-to-warn-myths-and-facts-sheet) and Iowa state resource page. (https://www.beyondpesticides.org/resources/failure-to-warn/bills-to-track/midwest-target-states)
Petrochemical-based pesticide manufacturers, predominantly German-owned Bayer-Monsanto, are expanding their all-out push from last year to at least eleven states. The focus of these bills is to protect chemical corporations, not people.
Please oppose SF 394 and ensure that those who are harmed by toxic products are compensated.
Thank you!
Letter to the Iowa Senate [Original Text from March 27, 2025]
I am writing to ask you to oppose SF 394, "An Act relating to pesticides, by providing for tort liability," that will shield pesticide manufacturers from being sued by people who have been harmed by their products. The chemical companies have argued unsuccessfully all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court that they should not be required to warn consumers about the dangers of their products. So now they are asking the Iowa legislature to do what they have not been able to do in the courts—prevent people harmed by toxic products from suing them.
SF 394 passed the Senate on March 26 [26-21]. The House bill is expected to be introduced shortly. Stay tuned!
If this bill were to pass, it would strike a blow to consumer and farmer safety for all toxic products. In a climate with less regulation, the ability to sue creates an incentive for manufacturers to develop safer products that protect those who use potentially hazardous materials, public safety, and the health of the environment—not to mention the compensation it provides to those harmed.
Failure-to-warn claims serve as the basis for the overwhelming majority of pesticide injury litigation of the past decade, according to legal professionals, including Brigit Rollins, JD, staff attorney at the National Agriculture Law Center. Failure-to-warn is a legal argument grounded in the common law of state court systems across the nation. “Almost every pesticide injury lawsuit filed in the past ten years has included a claim that the pesticide manufacturer failed to warn the plaintiff of the health risks associated with using their product and that such failure caused the plaintiff’s injury,” says Ms. Rollins. For more information, see Myths & Facts sheet (bp-dc.org/failure-to-warn-myths-and-facts-sheet) and Iowa state resource page. (https://www.beyondpesticides.org/resources/failure-to-warn/bills-to-track/midwest-target-states)
Petrochemical-based pesticide manufacturers, predominantly German-owned Bayer-Monsanto, are expanding their all-out push from last year to at least eleven states. The focus of these bills is to protect chemical corporations, not people.
Please oppose SF 394 and ensure that those who are harmed by toxic products are compensated.
Thank you!
Letter to the Iowa Senate [Original Text from February 26, 2025]
I am writing to ask you to oppose SF 394, "An Act relating to pesticides, by providing for tort liability," that will shield pesticide manufacturers from being sued by people who have been harmed by their products. The chemical companies have argued unsuccessfully all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court that they should not be required to warn consumers about the dangers of their products. So now they are asking the Iowa legislature to do what they have not been able to do in the courts—prevent people harmed by toxic products from suing them.
As you may know, SSB 1051 passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on February 20 and the bill was renumbered as SF 394.
If this bill were to pass, it would strike a blow to consumer and farmer safety for all toxic products. In a climate with less regulation, the ability to sue creates an incentive for manufacturers to develop safer products that protect those who use potentially hazardous materials, public safety, and the health of the environment—not to mention the compensation it provides to those harmed.
Failure-to-warn claims serve as the basis for the overwhelming majority of pesticide injury litigation of the past decade, according to legal professionals, including Brigit Rollins, JD, staff attorney at the National Agriculture Law Center. Failure-to-warn is a legal argument grounded in the common law of state court systems across the nation. “Almost every pesticide injury lawsuit filed in the past ten years has included a claim that the pesticide manufacturer failed to warn the plaintiff of the health risks associated with using their product and that such failure caused the plaintiff’s injury,” says Ms. Rollins. For more information, see our Myths & Facts sheet (bp-dc.org/failure-to-warn-myths-and-facts-sheet) and Iowa state resource page. (https://www.beyondpesticides.org/resources/failure-to-warn/bills-to-track/midwest-target-states)
Petrochemical-based pesticide manufacturers, predominantly German-owned Bayer-Monsanto, are expanding their all-out push from last year to at least seven states. The focus of these bills is to protect chemical corporations, not people.
Please oppose SF 394 and ensure that those who are harmed by toxic products are compensated.
Thank you!