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AB-1861 Pest control: Pierce’s disease.(2023-2024)



Current Version: 08/26/24 - Chaptered

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AB1861:v97#DOCUMENT

Assembly Bill No. 1861
CHAPTER 197

An act to amend Sections 6046, 6047.19, 6047.20, 6047.21, 6047.27, and 6047.29 of the Food and Agricultural Code, relating to pest control, and making an appropriation therefor.

[ Approved by Governor  August 26, 2024. Filed with Secretary of State  August 26, 2024. ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 1861, Addis. Pest control: Pierce’s disease.
Existing law establishes the Pierce’s Disease Control Program in the Department of Food and Agriculture, and the Pierce’s Disease Management Account in the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund. Existing law allows certain money in this account to be expended to combat Pierce’s disease and its vectors, including the glassy-winged sharpshooter, and for purposes relating to other designated pests and diseases, as provided. Existing law requires the department to submit an annual report to the Legislature regarding its expenditures, progress, and ongoing priorities in combating Pierce’s disease and its vectors in California. Existing law makes these provisions inoperative on March 1, 2026, and repeals them on January 1, 2027.
This bill would extend to March 1, 2031, the date on which the above provisions become inoperative, and would repeal those provisions on January 1, 2032. By extending the operative date for a partially continuously appropriated fund, this bill would make an appropriation. The bill would also delete the requirement for the department to submit the annual report to the Legislature.
Existing law creates in the department the Pierce’s Disease and Glassy-winged Sharpshooter Board, which consists of specified members, and prescribes the functions and duties of the board with respect to implementation of the Pierce’s disease program. Existing law provides for an annual assessment to be paid by grape processors, as defined, into the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund and continuously appropriates the collected funds for the purposes of, among other things, research and other activities related to the Pierce’s disease program. Existing law also requires the Secretary of Food and Agriculture to report on the status of the program on a biennial basis to specified committees of the Legislature. Existing law repeals these provisions on March 1, 2026.
This bill would extend the repeal date of these provisions to March 1, 2031, and would make related conforming changes. By extending the date until which the assessments are collected, the bill would make an appropriation. The bill would require the secretary to prepare the report on an annual basis instead of a biennial basis, to make the report available on the department’s internet website instead of submitting it to those committees of the Legislature, and to include information about the status of the Pierce’s Disease Control Program in the report.
Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest.
This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: YES   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 Section 6046 of the Food and Agricultural Code is amended to read:

6046.
 (a) There is hereby created in the department the Pierce’s Disease Control Program.
(b) The secretary shall appoint a statewide coordinator and provide an appropriate level of support staffing and logistical support for combating Pierce’s disease and its vectors.
(c) (1) There is hereby created the Pierce’s Disease Management Account in the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund.
(2) The account shall consist of money transferred from the General Fund and money made available from federal, industry, and other sources. Money made available from federal, industry, and other sources shall be available for expenditure without regard to fiscal year for the purpose of combating Pierce’s disease or its vectors and for the purpose described in Section 6047.30. State general funds to be used for research shall be expended only when the secretary has received commitments from nonstate sources for at least a 25-percent match for each state dollar to be expended.
(d) The funds appropriated pursuant to this section to the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund for the purpose of combating Pierce’s disease and its vectors shall be used for costs that are incurred by the state or by local entities for the purpose of research and other efforts to combat Pierce’s disease and its vectors.
(e) Whenever, in any county, funds are allocated by the department for local assistance regarding Pierce’s disease and its vectors, those funds shall be made available to a local public entity, or local public entities, designated by that county’s board of supervisors.
(f) Funds appropriated for local assistance shall not be allocated to the local public entity until the local public entity creates a Pierce’s disease work plan that is approved by the department. Any funds allocated by the department to a designated local public entity shall be used for activities consistent with the local Pierce’s disease work plan or other programs or work plans approved by the department. It shall be the responsibility of the designated local public entity to develop and implement the local Pierce’s disease work plan. Upon request, the department shall provide consultation to the local public entity regarding its work plan.
(g) The work plan created by the designated local public entity shall include, but is not limited to, all of the following:
(1) In coordination with the department, the development and delivery of producer outreach information and training to local communities, groups, and individuals to organize their involvement with the work plan and to raise awareness regarding Pierce’s disease and its vectors.
(2) In coordination with the department, the development and delivery of ongoing training of the designated local public entity’s employees in the biology, survey, and treatment of Pierce’s disease and its vectors.
(3) The identification within the designated local public entity of a local Pierce’s disease coordinator.
(4) The proposed treatment of Pierce’s disease and its vectors. A treatment program shall comply with all applicable laws and regulations and shall be conducted in an environmentally responsible manner.
(5) In coordination with the department, the development and implementation of a data collection system to track and report new infestations of Pierce’s disease and its vectors in a manner respectful of property and other rights of those affected.
(h) On an annual basis, while funds appropriated by this section are available for encumbrance, the department shall review the progress of each local public entity’s activities regarding Pierce’s disease and its vectors and, as needed, make recommendations regarding those activities to the local public entity.
(i) This article shall become inoperative on March 1, 2031, and as of January 1, 2032, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute that is enacted before January 1, 2032, deletes or extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed.

SEC. 2.

 Section 6047.19 of the Food and Agricultural Code is amended to read:

6047.19.
 (a) On or before December 31 of every year, the secretary, after consultation with the board, shall make publicly available on the department’s internet website, a report on the status of this article and Article 8 (commencing with Section 6045), including, but not limited to, program expenditures, progress, and ongoing priorities in combating Pierce’s disease and its vectors in California for the previous calendar year.
(b) The report shall include a financial accounting, including the distribution of industry assessments and any unexpended amount on deposit, of the department’s efforts to contain Pierce’s disease and its vectors.
(c) If this article does not become inoperative on an earlier date pursuant to Section 6047.20 or 6047.27, this article shall remain in effect only until March 1, 2031, and in any case is repealed as of that date, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before March 1, 2031, deletes or extends that date.

SEC. 3.

 Section 6047.20 of the Food and Agricultural Code is amended to read:

6047.20.
 This article shall become inoperative as of March 1, 2026, unless the secretary finds, in a referendum conducted by the secretary, or a person designated by the secretary, subsequent to the operative date of the amendments to this section adopted in 2024, that a favorable vote has been given pursuant to this article.

SEC. 4.

 Section 6047.21 of the Food and Agricultural Code is amended to read:

6047.21.
 (a) No later than April 15, 2025, the secretary shall establish a list of those persons eligible to vote on the continued implementation of this article.
(b) Eligibility shall be limited to the producers, processors, and persons who paid the assessment on grapes crushed in the immediately preceding season.
(c) (1) In establishing the list, the secretary may require processors, producers, and others to submit the names, mailing addresses, and assessment values of all producers who paid the assessment on grapes crushed in the immediately preceding marketing season.
(2) The information required by the secretary shall be filed either with the annual assessment report or no later than 30 days following receipt of a written notice from the secretary requesting the information.
(d) Any producer whose name does not appear on the secretary’s list may have their name added to the list by filing with the secretary a signed statement identifying them as a producer that paid an assessment during the most recent marketing season.

SEC. 5.

 Section 6047.27 of the Food and Agricultural Code is amended to read:

6047.27.
 (a) If the secretary finds that a favorable vote as provided in this article has not been given subsequent to the operative date of the amendments to this section adopted in 2024, this article shall become inoperative as of March 1, 2026.
(b) If the secretary finds that a favorable vote has been given as provided in this article, the secretary shall certify and give notice of the favorable vote to all persons whose names and addresses may be on file with the secretary as provided in Section 6047.21.

SEC. 6.

 Section 6047.29 of the Food and Agricultural Code is amended to read:

6047.29.
 (a) The secretary shall appoint an advisory task force consisting of scientific experts, including, but not limited to, university researchers and agricultural representatives, for the purpose of advising the secretary on the control and management of Pierce’s disease.
(b) Members of the advisory task force, or alternate members when acting as members, may be reimbursed, upon request, for necessary expenses incurred by them in the performance of their duties.
(c) Notwithstanding Sections 6047.20 and 6047.27, this section shall remain in effect until March 1, 2031, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before March 1, 2031, deletes or extends that date.

SEC. 7.

 The Legislature finds and declares that Sections 6047.5 and 6047.13 of the Food and Agricultural Code, which are authorized to be extended pursuant to Sections 2 to 5, inclusive, of this act, impose a limitation on the public’s right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies within the meaning of Section 3 of Article I of the California Constitution. Pursuant to that constitutional provision, the Legislature makes the following findings to demonstrate the interest protected by this limitation and the need for protecting that interest:
In order to protect the personal and financial information of a person subject to the act, it is necessary that this act limit the public’s right of access to that information.