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ENGROSSED SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL NO. 5170
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AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE
C 035 L 87
State of Washington 50th Legislature 1987 Regular Session
By Senate Committee on Agriculture (originally sponsored by Senators Hansen, Barr, Gaspard, Bauer, Bailey, Benitz and Patterson)
Read first time 1/30/87.
AN ACT Relating to agricultural fees and assessments; and amending RCW 15.13.280, 15.13.310, and 15.13.470.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1. Section 4, chapter 33, Laws of 1971 ex. sess. as last amended by section 4, chapter 36, Laws of 1985 and RCW 15.13.280 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) No
person shall act as a nursery dealer without a license for each place of
business where horticultural plants are sold except as provided in RCW
15.13.270. Any person applying for such a license shall apply through the
master license system. The application shall be accompanied by ((the
following annual licensing fee:)) a fee established by the director by
rule. The director shall establish by rule, in accordance with chapter 34.04
RCW, a schedule of fees for retail nursery dealer licenses and a schedule of
fees for wholesale nursery dealer licenses which shall be based upon the amount
of a person's retail or wholesale sales of horticultural plants and turf. The
schedule for retail licenses shall include, but shall not be limited to,
separate fees for at least the following two categories: (a) A fee for a
person whose gross business sales of such materials do not exceed two thousand
five hundred dollars; and (b) a fee for a person whose gross business sales of
such materials exceed two thousand five hundred dollars. (((a) Retail
licenses:
(i) A
twenty-five dollar license fee if gross business sales for horticultural plants
and turf do not exceed two thousand five hundred dollars;
(ii) A
fifty dollar license fee if such gross business sales are between two thousand
five hundred dollars and fifteen thousand dollars; and
(iii) A one
hundred dollar license fee if such gross business sales are fifteen thousand
dollars or more;
(b)
Wholesale licenses:
(i) A fifty
dollar license fee if gross business sales for horticultural plants and turf
are less than fifteen thousand dollars; and
(ii) A one
hundred dollar license fee if such gross business sales are fifteen thousand
dollars or more.))
(2) Except as provided in RCW 15.13.270, a person conducting both retail and wholesale sales of horticultural plants at a place of business shall secure for the place of business (a) a retail nursery dealer license if retail sales of the plants and turf exceed such wholesale sales, or (b) a wholesale nursery dealer license if wholesale sales of the plants and turf exceed such retail sales.
(3) The licensing fee that must accompany an application for a new license shall be based upon the estimated gross business sales of horticultural plants and turf for the ensuing licensing year. The fee for renewing a license shall be based upon the licensee's gross sales of such products during the preceding licensing year.
(4) The license shall expire on the master license expiration date unless it has been revoked or suspended prior to the expiration date by the director for cause. Each license shall be posted in a conspicuous place open to the public in the location for which it was issued.
(5) The department may audit licensees during normal business hours to determine that appropriate fees have been paid.
Sec. 2. Section 7, chapter 33, Laws of 1971 ex. sess. as amended by section 4, chapter 73, Laws of 1983 1st ex. sess. and RCW 15.13.310 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) There
is hereby levied an annual assessment ((of one percent)) on the gross
sale price of the wholesale market value for all fruit trees, fruit tree
seedlings, ((and)) fruit tree rootstock, and all other rootstock used
for fruit tree propagation produced in Washington, and sold within the
state or shipped from the state of Washington by any licensed nursery dealer
during any license period, as set forth in this chapter((: PROVIDED, That)).
The director ((may)) shall by rule subsequent to a hearing((,
on or after this chapter has been in effect for a period of two years, reduce
such assessment to conform)) determine the rate of an assessment
conforming with the costs necessary to carry out the fruit tree
certification and nursery improvement programs specified in RCW 15.13.470.
Such wholesale market price may be determined by the wholesale catalogue price of the seller of such fruit trees, fruit tree seedlings, or fruit tree rootstock or of the shipper moving such fruit trees, fruit tree seedlings, or fruit tree rootstock out of the state. If the seller or shipper do not have a catalogue, then such wholesale market price may be based on the actual selling price or an average wholesale market price. The director in determining such average wholesale market price may use catalogues of various businesses licensed under the provisions of this chapter or any other reasonable method.
(2) Such assessment shall be due and payable on the first day of July of each year.
(3) The gross sale period shall be from July 1 to June 30 of the previous license period.
(4) The department may audit the records of licensees during normal business hours to determine that the appropriate assessment has been paid.
Sec. 3. Section 25, chapter 33, Laws of 1971 ex. sess. as last amended by section 5, chapter 36, Laws of 1985 and RCW 15.13.470 are each amended to read as follows:
All moneys
((except assessments and penalties)) collected under ((the provisions
of)) this chapter shall be paid ((into the nursery inspection fund in
the state treasury which is hereby established. Such fund shall be used only
in the administration and enforcement of this chapter. All moneys collected
under the provisions of chapter 15.13 RCW and remaining in such nursery
inspection account in the state general fund on July 1, 1975, shall likewise be
used only in the administration and enforcement of this chapter)) to the
director, deposited in an account within the agricultural local fund, and used
solely for carrying out this chapter and rules adopted under this chapter. No
appropriation is required for the disbursement of moneys from the account by
the director. Any residual balance of funds remaining in the nursery
inspection fund on the effective date of this 1987 section shall be transferred
to that account within the agricultural local fund: PROVIDED, That all
fees collected for fruit tree, fruit tree seedling and fruit tree rootstock
assessments as set forth in this chapter shall be deposited in the northwest
nursery fund to be used only for the Washington fruit tree certification and
nursery improvement programs as set forth in this chapter and chapter 15.14
RCW. For the purpose of testing and improvement of fruit trees, fruit tree
seedlings, fruit tree rootstock, or other plant material used for the
propagation of fruit trees, the director may, with advice from the advisory
committee under RCW 15.13.320, expend up to fifty percent of the money
collected from assessments during each fiscal year ending June 30. At no time
may such contribution allow the balance of the northwest nursery fund to fall
below the combined program cost of the two previous fiscal years. The amount
of this minimum balance shall be determined by the director on June 30 of each
year.