BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 571
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Date of Hearing: April 17, 2013
REVISED
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
Susan Talamantes Eggman, Chair
AB 571 (Gatto) - As Introduced: February 20, 2013
SUBJECT : Agricultural pest control: citrus disease prevention.
SUMMARY : Makes legislative findings and declarations that
there is an ongoing need for at least $5 million annually to
combat citrus pest and disease, and appropriates $5 million from
the General Fund (GF) to the Citrus Disease Management account
(CDMA) in the California Department of Food and Agriculture
(CDFA).
EXISTING LAW:
1. Creates the California Citrus Pest and Disease
Prevention Committee (CCPDPC) in CDFA to develop a
statewide citrus pest and disease work plan.
2. Creates the CDMA in the Department of Food and
Agriculture Fund for the purposes of combating
citrus-specific pests and diseases.
3. Provides for a monthly assessment to be paid by citrus
producers, which are deposited in the CDMA and is available
for specified activities relating to citrus disease
prevention.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown. This bill has been keyed fiscal by
Legislative Counsel.
COMMENTS : Citrus is a $2 billion industry in the state of
California. California produces 82% of United States' fresh
citrus and directly employs more than 14,000 people. It
contributes an additional $1.2 billion in economic value to the
state and supports another 10,000 jobs.
In March of 2012, Huanglongbing (HLB) was found in a Los
Angeles-area backyard. HLB is a bacterial plant disease that
destroys the production, appearance and value of citrus trees,
ruining the citrus. HLB is spread mainly by the Asian citrus
psyllid (ACP). To date there is no known controls for HLB other
AB 571
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than removing and destroying infected groves. After a 2005
discovery in Florida, it took only two years for HLB to transmit
to all 32 Florida citrus producing counties and infect over half
of the citrus tree in that state.
AB 281 (De Leon), Chapter 426, Statutes of 2009, allowed the
citrus producer to assess themselves to help combat the spread
of HLB. Citrus producers have contributed $15 million each year
since AB 281 was passed and the United State Department of
Agriculture (USDA) spent at least $10 million per year in the
last three years to research, detect and eradicate HLB and ACP
in California.
With the threat that HLB poses to California's Citrus producers,
the author states that allocating $5 million GF dollars to aid
in research and prevention of citrus diseases will help protect
a major industry in California. This bill will assist citrus
producers, who are helping fund the fight, in not falling victim
to HLB.
The funds in the CDMA are used in a similar fashion as another
successful program, the Pierce's Disease Control Program (PDCP),
which used a combination of producer, state and USDA funding to
combat Pierce's Disease and its main vector, the glassy winged
sharpshooter. PDCP has proven to be a good model for pest
control programs, including CCPDPC.
RELATED LEGISLATION:
AB 604 (De Leon and Fuller), Chapter 17, Statutes of 2011,
authorized CDFA to spend, until June 30, 2010, any monies it had
collected since November 2009 on citrus specific pest and
disease programs created by AB 281 (De Leon).
AB 281 (De Leon) created CCPDPC to prevent and control citrus
diseases in California, and allows the CCPDPC to levy fees on
citrus producers to pay for citrus disease detection and control
programs.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
California Citrus Mutual
Western Growers
AB 571
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Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Victor Francovich / AGRI. / (916)
319-2084