(LANSING) – A Michigan State lawmaker has presented a plan to allow Michigan stores to sell more eggs.

35th District State Representative Jennifer Wortz introduced a plan last week that would aim to increase supply for Michigan customers facing high egg prices during the national avian influenza pandemic.

Michigan’s cage-free law, which took effect at the start of 2025, requires farmers to house their egg-laying hens in open, maneuverable spaces with specific amenities for the chickens. The law also prohibits retailers from selling caged eggs from farms with over 3,000 hens. Wortz, a Republican from Quincy who raises poultry with her family on their farm, says delaying Michigan’s cage-free law will allow more affordable eggs to come to market in the state.

Wortz says Michigan’s cage-free egg law took effect at exactly the wrong time. She says millions of egg-laying hens have been infected or euthanized because of avian influenza, reducing egg production and keeping prices high nationwide. Wortz says Michigan’s newly narrowed market means local stores can’t stock up with some of the eggs that are available. This makes it harder to bring costs down for shoppers.

House Bill 4117 would delay Michigan’s cage-free egg requirements until 2029. Wortz said that although pausing the mandate wouldn’t reduce costs for Michigan farmers who have already invested in cage-free housing, the delay would allow the sale of currently banned eggs to consumers, increasing supply and easing prices without hurting local farms.

Wortz’s bill comes near the start of spring, when avian flu often spreads faster as migratory birds move north, picking up and carrying diseases from place to place.

HB 4117 was referred to the House Committee on Agriculture, where Wortz serves as vice chair.