A comprehensive overhaul of Oregon’s farm direct marketing law has cleared the Legislature with broad bipartisan support.

On May 25, the House unanimously passed Senate Bill 507, which updates the rules for farmers who sell food directly to consumers without state food safety inspections.

The proposal was previously approved by the Senate before a protest by Republican lawmakers began in early May, which has stopped bills from passing the chamber by denying it a quorum.

A signature from Gov. Tina Kotek would allow the bill to take effect later this year, which is likely since the proposal didn’t encounter any opposition.

“It’s one of the feel-good bills of the session,” said Sen. Jeff Golden, D-Ashland, during a legislative hearing on SB 507.

The bill relied on input from farmers to rework the “farm direct framework” passed by the Legislature more than a decade ago, expanding sales channels for items that pose minimal risk, he said. “There was a lot of vetting of what will not raise safety concerns.”

Growers already don’t need a food license to sell such products as fruits, vegetables, eggs, herbs, nuts, olive oil, honey, grains, legumes, seeds, popcorn, and acidic fruit syrups and preserves.

The bill adds maple and walnut syrup and fruit and vegetable juices to that list, expands allowable processing methods to include freeze-drying and steam-canning, and increased the sales limit for farm-processed goods from $20,000 to $50,000 per year.

In addition to venues such as farmers markers and road stands, the bill allows products to be sold in-state over the internet, though delivery services and on consignment by other growers.

The Friends of Family Farmers urged lawmakers to pass the bill because the 2011 farm direct law didn’t account for the rise of online sales or rapid inflation, said Brittney Deming, the group’s community engagement manager.

“One of the things we heard over and over is the farm direct bill, while widely used, has not kept up with the times,” she said during a legislative hearing.

Demand for locally-produced food continues to grow, improving economic opportunities and food security, said Caitlin Seyfried, food partnerships manager for the North Coast Food Web nonprofit.

“Food sources in our communities make us more resilient in the face of disruption in the food supply,” she said.