BILL ANALYSIS AB 1912 Page 1 CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS AB 1912 (Evans) As Amended August 2, 2010 Majority vote ----------------------------------------------------------------- |ASSEMBLY: |61-15|(June 1, 2010) |SENATE: |26-8 |(August 11, | | | | | | |2010) | ----------------------------------------------------------------- Original Committee Reference: AGRI. SUMMARY : Creates the California Apiary Research Commission (CARC) with prescribed membership, powers, duties and responsibilities, and requires positive referendum vote by producers, as specified, to activate. The Senate amendments : 1)Require that the public member of CARC have an alternate member to sever on CARC in the public member's absence. 2)Allow eligible producers to contact other eligible producers, as specified. 3)Lower, from 20% to 15%, the number of producers needed to request a referendum for suspension of CARC. 4)Delete the provision allowing CARC to change the $1.00 assessment rate, as specified. 5)Specifies how beekeepers are to be given public notice and registration instruction to become eligible to vote on a CARC referendum. 6)Change from a misdemeanor to a civil penalty the fine for attempting to falsify, hide or fail to give properly requested documentation, or conduct that attempts to avoid paying the assessment to CARC. 7)Make technical and clarifying changes, and add a co-author. EXISTING LAW authorizes various marketing and promotion commissions (commissions) to promote the production and AB 1912 Page 2 marketing of California agricultural commodities. Commissions have a variety of powers covering promotion, advertising, education, production or post-harvest research, and quality standards and inspections. Commissions cover a variety of commodities. (Food and Agriculture Code Section 64001-79304) AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY , this bill was substantially similar to the version approved by the Senate. FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Committee on Appropriations, this bill would cost up to $2 million per year, paid for by an assessment on the beekeeping industry. COMMENTS : According to the sponsor, honey bees are a critical component of the agricultural community. Honey bees pollinate approximately $6 billion worth of crops in California. Urban development and the on-going water crisis have diminished bee food supplies. Colony Collapse Disorder has reduced the nation's bee population by 25% in the past three years. The decline of honey bees has created issues for other agricultural sectors that rely on honey bees for pollination of crops. The sponsor believes there is a need for organized research to protect the health of honey bees in order to avoid an imbalance for our agricultural food supply. According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the purpose of marketing programs is to provide agricultural producers and handlers an organizational structure, operating under government sanction, which allows them to solve production and marketing problems collectively that they could not address individually. Current marketing programs' activities include commodity promotion, research, and maintenance of quality standards. Commissions provide a structure for solving problems and also provide a vehicle for collecting funds to support activities. There are 20 active commissions under current law. Analysis Prepared by : Victor Francovich / AGRI. / (916) 319-2084 FN: 0005439