State Rep. Bobby Levy weighs in on bills close to family business as lawmakers mull regulationsOn Feb. 5, state Rep. Bobby Levy, R-Echo, urged legislators at a hearing in the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Wildfire to oppose a bill that would have required large farm owners to report their fertilizer use to the Oregon Department of Agriculture. In fact, by Oregon law, she said she and other legislators are required to vote on bills even when they’ve declared a conflict of interest. “As a member of the House of Representatives, it is my honor and obligation to comply with the rules of the House, state law and the Oregon Constitution,” Levy said in an email. The proposal — House Bill 2930 — unanimously passed the House in April and is awaiting a final vote in the Senate. The only reason the environmental quality department knows about the overfertilized fields at the Levy farm is because the farm gets wastewater from J.R. Simplot Company and the Hermiston Power Plant.