BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair
1069 (Monning)
Hearing Date: 8/27/2009 Amended: 5/4/2009
Consultant: Bob Franzoia Policy Vote: F&A 3-1 EQ 5-2
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BILL SUMMARY: AB 1069 would require the telephone hotline
established by the California Department of Food and Agriculture
(CDFA) for the public to report adverse health consequences of
an urban or communitywide application of a pesticide to be toll
free and staffed by public health personnel familiar with the
pesticide being applied. The public health personnel shall
enter all health complaints into a database, encourage physician
consultation, and offer to provide a claim report form. This
bill would require the notice distributed within the urban area
of an eradication project to include a telephone number that is
a toll free telephone hotline number and require that the
purpose of the number be included on the notice.
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Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Fund
Permanent public outreach Up to $50 annually; costs
dependent Federal/*
and response process on level of infestation, type
of spraying, General
pesticide used, public
outreach, etc.
* Based on contract costs to respond to the light brown apple
moth (LBAM) infestation and aerial spraying; all costs were
federally funded. This bill would have negligible General Fund
costs; see Staff Comments.
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STAFF COMMENTS: SUSPENSE FILE.
It is unknown how often CDFA would implement the provisions of
this bill and whether federal funds, and at what share of cost,
would continue to be available from the US Department of
Agriculture.
Current law requires CDFA to establish a process to report
adverse health consequences and a process to evaluate and
respond to adverse health consequences.
Costs can be expected to vary depending on the severity of the
infestation, what pesticides that may be used, and whether
ground or aerial spraying is used. A contract to combat the
LBAM infestation between CDFA and the Office of Health Hazard
Assessment (OEHHA), which expires June 30, 2010, was for
$699,282 and revised by $940,055 for a total of $1,639,337.
This contract was extended to September 30, 2010, and it may be
extended monthly beyond that date. A review of that contract is
useful in estimating the fiscal impact of this bill.
In that contract, OEHHA was reimbursed for the following:
Education and Outreach: OEHHA conducted communication,
education, and
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AB 1069 (Monning)
outreach activities to local health officers, local governmental
officials, community groups, the Legislature and the public in
coordination with a public health medical officer
and a research scientist. OEHHA utilized a combination of
scientific knowledge and communications skills to make
scientific concepts understandable to public audiences. This
workload required 0.4 time for a public health medical officer,
0.2 time for a senior toxicologist, 0.6 time for a staff
toxicologist and 0.1 time for a research scientist.
Illness recognition and reporting: OEHHA provided consultation
on medical/clinical issues relating to LBAM pesticide exposures,
reviewed and set up symptoms criteria for identifying illnesses
potentially related to LBAM pesticide exposures, designed new
syllabi for training of physicians and healthcare providers,
provided training to physicians on pesticides used in the
eradication and their requirements to report pesticide
illnesses, provided education on the Pesticide Illness Reporting
system (requirements, existing system, implementation, and hands
on training for multiple counties) This workload required 0.4
time for a public health medical officer, 0.1 time for a senior
toxicologist, 0.4 time for a senior toxicologist, and 0.6 time
for a research scientist.
Complaints and illness incidence reporting: OEHHA developed a
scope of work and monitors a contract with the California Poison
Control System (CPCS) for the operation of a phone bank to
answer health questions and handle complaints, serves as a
technical lead for interacting with the CPCS and the phone bank,
set up systems for files and records regarding reports of
pesticide illness, analyzes health complaints and illness
incidence reports, and evaluates and interprets illness
complaint data. This workload required 0.1 time for a staff
toxicologist, and 0.1 time for a research scientist. OEHHA also
coordinates with internal and external parties. It is this
workload that would become a new requirement above what is
currently specified in statute.
Staff notes Chapter 4.5 Invasive Pest Planning added Food and
Agriculture Code 5265, which is amended (and expanded to be
consistent with the provisions of a currently operative
contract) by this bill. Food and Agriculture Code 5266 states
that the program established by this chapter may only be
federally funded. This bill also amends Food and Agriculture
Code 5776 which is within Chapter 8 Special Quarantine, Control,
and Abatement Methods. Chapter 8 does not contain the federal
funds only restriction. As a result, any changes to this
section would have a General Fund impact. The change proposed
by this bill to this section would be the addition of a
statement of the purpose of the existing toll-free telephone
hotline number.