H-2001.2          _______________________________________________

 

                            SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1671

                  _______________________________________________

 

State of Washington              54th Legislature             1995 Regular Session

 

By House Committee on Agriculture & Ecology (originally sponsored by Representatives Clements, Chandler, Grant and Mastin)

 

Read first time 02/22/95.

 

Revising commodity commission assessment authority.



     AN ACT Relating to agricultural commodity commissions; adding a new section to chapter 15.65 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 15.26 RCW; providing an effective date; and declaring an emergency.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

 

     NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 15.65 RCW to read as follows:

     The hop commodity board may raise the rate of annual assessment in excess of the fiscal growth factor under chapter 43.135 RCW from the assessment of two dollars and fifty cents per affected unit in effect under chapter 16-532 WAC on the effective date of this act to three dollars per affected unit.  For this purpose, the affected unit is two hundred pounds net of hops or the amount of lupulin, extract, or oil produced from two hundred pounds net of hops.

     The mint commodity board may raise the rate of annual assessment in excess of the fiscal growth factor under chapter 43.135 RCW from the assessment of three and one-half cents per affected unit in effect under chapter 16-540 WAC on the effective date of this act to five cents per affected unit.  For this purpose, the affected unit is one pound of mint oil as distilled from mint plants grown by an affected producer and as weighed by the first purchaser.

     The assessment limits established by this section are set solely to provide prior legislative authority for the purposes of RCW 43.135.055 and may not be construed as providing a limitation on the authority of either commodity board to alter assessments in any manner not limited by RCW 43.135.055.  However, any alteration in assessments made under the authority of this section shall be made in compliance with the procedural requirements established by this chapter for altering or amending such assessments.

 

     NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 15.26 RCW to read as follows:

     The Washington tree fruit research commission may raise the assessment on cherries in excess of the fiscal growth factor under chapter 43.135 RCW from the assessment of two dollars per ton in effect under chapter 16-560 WAC on the effective date of this act to four dollars per ton.  The commission may also establish an additional assessment on all tree fruits under RCW 15.26.155 of not more than eight cents per ton.

     The assessment limits established by this section are set solely to provide prior legislative authority for the purposes of RCW 43.135.055 and may not be construed as providing a limitation on the authority of the tree fruit research commission to alter assessments in any manner not limited by RCW 43.135.055.  However, any alteration in assessments made under the authority of this section shall be made in compliance with the procedural requirements established by this chapter for altering or amending such assessments.

 

     NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3.  This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and shall take effect July 1, 1995.

 


                                    --- END ---