BILL NUMBER: AB 1597	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN SENATE  JUNE 3, 2014

INTRODUCED BY   Committee on Agriculture (Eggman (Chair), Olsen (Vice
Chair), Atkins, Dahle, Pan, Quirk, and Yamada)

                        FEBRUARY 4, 2014

   An act to amend  Section   Sections 9641.5
and  42815 of the Food and Agricultural Code, relating to food
and agriculture.



	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 1597, as amended, Committee on Agriculture.  Fruit,
nut, and vegetable standards.   Food and agriculture.
 
   (1) Existing law requires any horse or other Equidae brought into
the state to be accompanied by certain health information, including
certification that the horse is free from evidence of any
communicable disease. A violation of those provisions is an
infraction or a misdemeanor, as specified. Existing law exempts from
those provisions a horse or other Equidae moved from California to
another state for no more than 14 days.  
   This bill would delete this exemption. By expanding the scope of a
crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. 

   Existing 
    (2)     Existing  law, until January
1, 2015, requires the Secretary of Food and Agriculture to create an
industry-funded standardization program for purposes of implementing
and enforcing provisions relating to fruits, nuts, and vegetables.
Existing law requires the secretary to adopt regulations reasonably
necessary to carry out those provisions, including establishing
assessment rates and procedures for payment of assessments. Existing
law establishes an assessment rate of $0.003 per container for
commodities that are not otherwise subject to a mandatory inspection
fee, and an assessment rate of $0.001 per container for commodities
that are subject to a mandatory inspection fee, to be deposited in
the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund and used for implementing
and enforcing the provisions specified above. Existing law requires
the secretary to exempt any commodity subject to those provisions if
a petition representing a specified percentage of the producers is
submitted to the secretary, as specified.
   This bill would extend the repeal date of the standardization
program provisions to January 1, 2020. 
   (3) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse
local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the
state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that
reimbursement.  
   This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this
act for a specified reason. 
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program:  no   yes  .


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

   SECTION 1.    Section 9641.5 of the   Food
and Agricultural Code   is amended to read: 
   9641.5.  (a) Any horse or other Equidae brought into this state
shall be accompanied by the following:
   (1) A certificate of health from the state of origin issued by an
accredited veterinarian. The certificate shall state that the horse
or other Equidae is free from evidence of any communicable disease.
   (2) Verification that any horse or Equidae has been tested within
the preceding 12 months and found negative to a test for equine
infectious anemia. The test shall be approved by the secretary and
conducted by a laboratory approved by the United States Department of
Agriculture, and the necessary sample shall be taken, and the
verification signed by, an accredited veterinarian.
   (b) A nursing foal of less than six months of age when accompanied
by a negative dam and any horse or other Equidae consigned for
immediate slaughter shall be exempt from the testing requirements of
this section. 
   (c) Any horse or other Equidae moved from California to another
state for a period of not more than 14 days, is exempt from this
section upon returning to California, provided that the exemption
does not apply to any horse or other Equidae that leaves the
continental United States. 
   SECTION 1.   SEC. 2.   Section 42815 of
the Food and Agricultural Code is amended to read:
   42815.  This article shall remain in effect only until January 1,
2020, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted
statute, which becomes effective on or before January 1, 2020,
deletes or extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is
repealed.
   SEC. 3.    No reimbursement is required by this act
pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California
Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local
agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a
new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or
changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of
Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a
crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the
California Constitution.