BILL REQ. #:  S-2089.1 

Read first time 02/24/09.   Referred to Committee on Agriculture & Rural Economic Development.

     AN ACT Relating to milk pricing; and creating a new section.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   (1) A task force on milk pricing mechanisms is established.
     (2) The task force shall be jointly appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the senate and shall be composed of the following members:
     (a) Four persons representing dairy farmers;
     (b) Two persons representing dairy processors;
     (c) Up to five representatives of various distributors, wholesalers, and retailers who sell milk or milk products in the state; and
     (d) The director of the department of agriculture or the director's designee.
     (3) The purpose of the task force is to consider the long-term economic stability of the dairy industry in Washington state over recent decades with special attention to the current depression in prices impacting the industry in February 2009. The task force shall examine:
     (a) The current federal order pricing system and its limited ability to prevent extreme volatility in prices;
     (b) How other states have supplemented federal milk pricing regulation with additional state regulations;
     (c) Washington state current state milk pricing statutes and whether the law needs to be updated;
     (d) The possible use of requesting congressional compact authority between states for the purpose of jointly regulating milk prices between states; and
     (e) Developing a recommendation as to whether Washington state should request a similar congressional compact authority for working with neighboring states.
     (4) The task force shall elect its own chairperson.
     (5) The department of agriculture shall provide staff for the task force.
     (6) The task force shall submit a report of its findings and recommendations by December 15, 2010, to the appropriate committees of the legislature.