FINAL BILL REPORT
SHB 1889
This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent. |
C 46 L 13
Synopsis as Enacted
Brief Description: Concerning the fruit and vegetable district fund.
Sponsors: House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on General Government (originally sponsored by Representatives Chandler and Blake).
House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on General Government
Senate Committee on Ways & Means
Background:
Fruit and Vegetable District Funds.
The Fruit and Vegetable Inspection Account (Inspection Account) contains all fees collected by the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) to recover the costs of inspections or certifications of fruits and vegetables. Funds in the Inspection Account are to be used for the WSDA's Fruit and Vegetable Inspection Program.
Washington is divided into two fruit and vegetable inspection districts. Each district has an individual district fund within the larger Inspection Account. If the district fund contains a certain amount of money, the inspection fees for that district are reduced.
Plant Pest Account.
The Plant Pest Account (Pest Account) is used by the WSDA as a receptacle for any fees collected for special inspections, plant diagnostic services, pest control activities, or special certifications requested by growers, farmers, or other interested parties. These services may be requested of the WSDA to facilitate the movement or sale of various agricultural products, including forest products, floricultural products, and horticultural products.
Rhagoletis Pomonella Control.
Horticultural pest and disease boards are formed at the county level to do control work for pests that impact commercial fruit crops. The WSDA performs surveys to detect the presence of pests but the control work is performed by local horticultural pest and disease boards.
Rhagoletis pomonella, commonly referred to as the apple maggot, but also known as the railroad worm, is a native insect to North America. It is considered to be a pest of several fruits, including apples.
In 1997 $200,000 of tree fruit inspection fees collected in one of the fruit and vegetable inspection districts was transferred from the Inspection Account to the Pest Account. In 2009 the Legislature authorized the same district to transfer an additional $150,000 with the stipulation that any amount still available as of June 30, 2013, must be transferred back to the Inspection Account and credited to the fruit and vegetable inspection district that contains Yakima County. Monies from both transfers were required to be used for the control of Rhagoletis pomonella within the district.
Summary:
An additional $150,000 is authorized to be transferred from the Inspection Account to the Pest Account by September 1, 2013. The funds involved in this transfer must originate from tree fruit inspection fees collected in one of the fruit and vegetable inspection districts, and be used for the control of Rhagoletis pomonella within the district. The fruit and vegetable inspection district affected by the transfer includes Asotin, Benton, Clark, Columbia, Cowlitz, Franklin, Garfield, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lewis, Pacific, Skamania, Wahkiakum, Walla Walla, Whitman, and Yakima counties.
The reference to where unexpended portions of the 2009 transfer are placed is removed. The purposes of the transfers expire on July 1, 2020.
Votes on Final Passage:
House | 97 | 0 | |
Senate | 48 | 0 |
Effective: | June 30, 2013 |