FINAL BILL REPORT

                           SSB 6463

                           C 46 L 94

                      SYNOPSIS AS ENACTED

Brief Description:  Revising department of agriculture administrative duties.

SPONSORS: Senate Committee on Agriculture (originally sponsored by Senator M. Rasmussen; by request of Department of Agriculture)

SENATE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE

SENATE COMMITTEE ON WAYS & MEANS

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON REVENUE

BACKGROUND:

A source of funds is needed to retain a toxicologist in the Department of Agriculture to examine requests for registering labels of pesticides for special local needs.

Grain inspection fees can no longer be used to fund audits of grain warehouses.  An alternative source of funding is sought for conducting audits of grain warehouses.

In 1993, the Legislature increased the statutory lids on fees that could be assessed to fund the livestock identification program by about 50 percent.  The Department of Agriculture did not immediately revise the fee schedule.  Initiative 601 requires increases in fees that exceed the fiscal growth factor be first approved by the Legislature.

SUMMARY:

A fee of $200 is established on requests or renewals of registration of pesticide labels for special local needs.

The license fee for terminal warehouses is increased from $400 to $1200.  The license fee for subterminal warehouses is increased from $300 to $900.  The license fee for country warehouses is increased from $100 to $350.

Revenue from grain warehouse license fees is to be deposited in the grain warehouse audit account and used to support the grain warehouse audit program.

The Department of Agriculture's duty to promote and protect agriculture shall not be construed as to diminish its regulatory responsibility to protect the public health and welfare.

Milk samples from dairy farms may be examined in laboratories approved by the director.

The brand identification program fees enacted in 1993 are reenacted to comply with provisions of Initiative 601.  The level of the fees is reduced on July 1, 1997, and a task force is assigned to work during the upcoming interim to make recommendations to improve the efficiency of the program and address adjustments to the fee schedule.

VOTES ON FINAL PASSAGE:

Senate    28   19

House     71   25

EFFECTIVE:March 21, 1994 (Sections 1-20, 26, 27)

July 1, 1997 (Sections 21-25)