BILL NUMBER: AB 1085	CHAPTERED  10/09/03

	CHAPTER  685
	FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE  OCTOBER 9, 2003
	APPROVED BY GOVERNOR  OCTOBER 8, 2003
	PASSED THE SENATE  SEPTEMBER 4, 2003
	PASSED THE ASSEMBLY  MAY 8, 2003
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  APRIL 9, 2003
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MARCH 26, 2003

INTRODUCED BY   Committee on Agriculture (Matthews (Chair), Maldonado
(Vice Chair), Berg, Cogdill, Maddox, Maze, Oropeza, Parra, Reyes,
Salinas, Vargas, and Wiggins)

                        FEBRUARY 20, 2003

   An act to amend Section 6032 of the Food and Agricultural Code,
relating to pests.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 1085, Committee on Agriculture.  Agriculture:  pest control:
curly top virus.
   Existing law provides for a beet leaf hopper control program
administered by the Secretary of Food and Agriculture.  Existing law
requires every producer or producer-handler of certain agricultural
crops susceptible to curly top virus to pay to the secretary an
assessment on all those crops sold or delivered to a handler, or in
the case of a producer-handler, on those crops marketed by the
producer-handler.
   This bill would require that the secretary determine those crops
susceptible to curly top virus for the purposes of this assessment.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:


  SECTION 1.  Section 6032 of the Food and Agricultural Code is
amended to read:
   6032.  As used in this article "handler" means any person that
engages in the operation of selling, marketing, or processing any of
the crops vulnerable to damage from curly top virus, as covered by
this chapter, which he or she has purchased, or acquired from a
producer or which he or she is marketing, selling or processing on
behalf of a producer, whether as owner, agent, employee, broker, or
otherwise.  A producer-handler is a producer who operates as a
handler as to any such crop produced by him or her.  Every producer
or producer-handler of agricultural crops susceptible to curly top
virus as determined by the secretary, may include, but is not limited
to, tomatoes, sugar beets, melons, beans, cucumbers, spinach, and
peppers shall pay to the department an assessment on all those crops
sold or delivered by him or her to a handler or, in the case of a
producer-handler, on those crops marketed by the producer-handler.
The full amount of the assessment shall be collected from the
producer by the handler at the point and time that the crop is
purchased or received by the handler as provided by regulations of
the secretary.