SENATE BILL REPORT
SHB 353
BYHouse Committee on Agriculture & Rural Development (originally sponsored by Representatives Rayburn, Nealey, Kremen, Rasmussen and Doty; by request of Department of Agriculture)
Modifying provisions relating to the department of agriculture.
House Committe on Agriculture & Rural Development
Senate Committee on Agriculture
Senate Hearing Date(s):March 26, 1987; March 27, 1987
Majority Report: Do pass as amended.
Signed by Senators Hansen, Chairman; Bauer, Vice Chairman; Anderson, Bailey, Barr, Gaspard.
Senate Staff:Kaleen Cottingham (786-7415)
March 30, 1987
AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, MARCH 27, 1987
BACKGROUND:
HORTICULTURAL INSPECTION. The Director of the Department of Agriculture is required by law to divide the state into horticulture inspection districts. Inspection fees collected by the horticultural inspectors are deposited in a district fund to defray inspection costs.
APPLE ADVERTISING COMMISSION. The state's Apple Advertising Commission is created by statute. The Commission is required to provide a comprehensive research, advertising, and educational campaign.
1961 AGRICULTURAL ENABLING ACT. The 1961 Agricultural Enabling Act is one of two enabling acts under which the producers of an agricultural commodity may establish a marketing agreement for the commodity. A marketing agreement is administered by a commodity commission or board. The members of the commission or board are elected under elections supervised by the Department of Agriculture.
COMMISSION MERCHANT STATUTES. The state's commission merchant statutes require agricultural commission merchants, dealers and limited dealers, brokers, cash buyers, agents, and boom loaders to be licensed. The fees for such licenses are specified in those statutes.
ORGANIC FOODS. Foods offered for sale may be advertised or labeled as being organic foods only if they satisfy certain requirements of state law. The laws regulating the sale of such foods are administered by the Department of Agriculture.
OTHER. State law specifies the official chemists of the Department and the procedures to be used in collecting assessments for the Beef Commission. It also establishes a procedure for filing statements of security interest in livestock with the Department. The filing system is used under state law to determine whether a person registered under the Federal Packers and Stockyard Act takes livestock free of any such interest created by the seller of the livestock. With the passage of the federal Food Security Act of 1985, the Congress established criteria for state lien filing systems used to protect such security interests.
SUMMARY:
HORTICULTURAL INSPECTIONS. Removed from law is a requirement that 25 percent of the total salary of an at-large horticultural inspector be paid by warrants drawn upon the State Treasurer and that the travel expenses of such inspectors be reimbursed as provided by law for state employees.
APPLE ADVERTISING COMMISSION. The Apple Advertising Commission is authorized to borrow money and incur indebtedness. The obligations incurred by the commission and other liabilities or claims against it shall be enforced only against its assets. No liability for the debts or actions of the Commission exists against the state or its subdivision or instrumentality or a member, employee, or agent of the Commission in his or her individual capacity. The liability of the members of the commission shall be several and not joint.
1961 AGRICULTURAL ENABLING ACT. The 1961 Agricultural Enabling Act is amended to alter the requirements for publishing notices for hearings concerning a proposed marketing agreement, order, amendment, or termination.
An alternative procedure is authorized for nominating members of commodity boards created under the act. If a board moves and the Director of Agriculture approves that the nomination meeting procedure be deleted, the Director shall give notice of the vacancy by mail to all affected producers or handlers and shall call for nominations in accordance with the marketing order. The filing date for nominations shall be not less than 20 days after the notice was mailed.
The Director shall designate financial institutions which are qualified as public depositaries, under laws administered by the State Finance Committee, to receive monies for marketing act revolving funds (rather than designating financial institutions which post surety bonds with the Department).
A commodity assessment under the act may be expressed as a percentage of the receipt price at the first point of sale. A provision of law establishing the maximum assessment on wheat as one-fourth cent per bushel is deleted.
ORGANIC FOODS. The Director may adopt rules establishing a certification program for producers of organic food. The rules may govern the number and scheduling of on-farm visits, the submission of samples for analysis, and other subjects and shall include a fee schedule that will provide for the recovery of the full cost of the certification program. The fees shall be deposited in an account within the agricultural local fund and shall be used solely for carrying out this program.
COMMISSION MERCHANT STATUTES. Licensing fees for commission merchants, dealers, limited dealers, brokers, cash buyers, agents, and boom loaders may be established by the Director by rule.
LIVESTOCK LIEN. State laws relating to security interests in livestock are repealed so that state law can be consistent with Federal Food Security Act of 1985. As a result of both this repealer and the federal act, security interests in livestock are governed by the uniform commercial code filing system.
OTHER. The chief chemist of the Department of Agriculture's dairy and food laboratory replaces the Dean of the College of Fisheries at the University of Washington as one of the official chemists of the Department. While the federal order for the national beef promotion program is in effect, assessments levied for the Beef Commission shall be collected as required by that order.
The bill contains an emergency clause and the provisions repealing the livestock lien filing system and related provisions of law concerning stockyard sales take effect immediately.
SUMMARY OF PROPOSED SENATE AMENDMENT:
The striking amendment incorporates the following: adds flexibility in the timing of audits of egg handlers and dealers; requires warehouse financial statements be kept confidential; expands the definition of grain depositor when a grain dealer's place of business is out of state; allows the department to submit required reports or documents; changes the date priority depositor liens begin to run to the date title passes; requires grain dealer to notify the department if not paid pursuant to contract; allows the department to take possession of commodities owned by a warehouseman or grain dealer in the event of liquidation; requires a warehouse to submit the scale ticket when commodity is delivered; adds a civil penalty of up to $1,000 per violation of the agricultural warehouse and dealer statute; requires lamb products to be labeled with country of origin; allows use of funds from the organic food fees without appropriation; and authorizes the department to prepare an informational guide on available services for farm families.
Revenue: Fees for licenses required under the commission merchant laws are to be set by rule rather than by statute.
Fiscal Note: available
Effective Date:The bill contains an emergency clause and the provisions repealing the livestock lien filing system and related provisions of law concerning stockyard sales take effect immediately.
Senate Committee - Testified: Mike Schwisow, Department of Agriculture