FINAL BILL REPORT

                  ESSB 5208

                          C 381 L 99

                      Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description:  Changing labeling requirements for specialty fertilizers.

Sponsors:  Senate Committee on Environmental Quality & Water Resources (originally sponsored by Senators Rasmussen, Stevens, T. Sheldon and Morton).

Senate Committee on Environmental Quality & Water Resources

House Committee on Agriculture & Ecology

Background:  Packaged fertilizers must have a label which states that the product has been registered with the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) and, when applied as directed, meets this state=s standards for arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, mercury, molybdenum, lead, nickel, selenium, and zinc.  The distributor shall also provide a copy of these standards to the purchaser, upon request.

After July 1, 1999, the label must also state that information received by the WSDA regarding the components in the product is available on the Internet at the department=s web site.

Summary:  The amount of labeling information required on commercial fertilizers distributed within the state is reduced.  The label is no longer required to state that the product meets state=s standards for the nine metals.  The distributor is not required to provide a copy of the state=s metal standards.

Three label options are provided for announcing that information regarding the contents and levels of metals is available on the Internet.  The options are as follows:

(1)the statement and website information that must be on a label beginning after July 1, 1999, under current law;

(2)a statement that information regarding the contents and levels of metals in the product is available on the Internet at the WSDA=s website; or

(3)a statement that information regarding contents and levels of metals in the product is available on the Internet at a Aregulatory-info@ site containing an alpha numeric identifier for the registrant of the fertilizer.

The third label option may be used only if:  (a) the registrant establishes and maintains the Internet site; (b) there is no advertising or company-specific information on the site; (c) the site contains a clearly visible, direct hyperlink to the WSDA=s Internet site; and (d) the site conforms to any other criteria adopted by the WSDA.

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate 38 10

House     55 42 (House amended)

Senate    35 9 (Senate concurred)

Effective:  July 1, 1999