FINAL BILL REPORT

                 EHB 1832

                         C 227 L 97

                     Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description:  Transferring funds for plant pest control activities.

Sponsors:  Representatives Clements, Linville and Lisk.

House Committee on Agriculture & Ecology

Senate Committee on Agriculture & Environment

Background:  State law authorizes the director of the Department of Agriculture to establish a fee-for-service program to provide, upon request, special inspections and other special certifications and activities needed to facilitate the movement or sale of plant products or bees and related products.  Monies collected from providing these services are deposited in the Plant Pest Account in the Agricultural Local Fund.  Monies from the account are used, without appropriation, to provide these services on a revolving account basis.

The horticultural laws establish or authorize the director of the Department of Agriculture to establish standards and grades for horticultural plants and products.  For the purposes of these laws, the state is divided into three horticultural inspection districts.  The director assigns inspectors‑at‑large to the districts to provide inspection services.  The fees these inspectors collect for these services are deposited in an Horticultural District Fund in the district.  The district fund is used on a revolving account basis by the inspectors to defray their expenses for providing the services.  Some of the monies in the district fund are also to be transferred to the state Horticulture Inspection Trust Fund.  The state fund is used to reimburse certain expenses for the horticulture program incurred at the state level and for making certain refundable transfers to district funds.  If, at the end of the fiscal year, there are monies in the district fund beyond those needed to defray expenses from that fiscal year, the excess is to be used to reduce the fees charged for services in the succeeding fiscal year.

By rule, Horticultural Inspection District 2 is made up of Kittitas, Klickitat, Skamania, Yakima, and a portion (the Prosser, Kiona, and Benton City areas) of Benton County.

Summary:  From monies in the district fund derived from state inspections of tree fruits, the inspector for Horticultural Inspection District 2 may transfer $200,000 to the Plant Pest Account.  The transferred monies are to be used solely for apple maggot control activities in the district.  The transfer is to take place by June 1, 1997.  Any portion of this amount that is unexpended by June 30, 1999, is to be returned to the district fund.  Among the services the director of agriculture may provide through the use of the Plant Pest Account are pest control activities.

Votes on Final Passage:

House970

Senate450

Effective:April 26, 1997