BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 226
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Date of Hearing: April 29, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Jimmy Gomez, Chair
AB
226 (Atkins) - As Amended April 16, 2015
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Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: YesReimbursable:
No
SUMMARY:
This bill establishes sanitation and operational requirements
for "Fishermen's Markets," defining them as a new type of
nonpermanent food facility, and authorizes permitholders to sell
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directly to consumers raw or fresh frozen fish that has been
legally caught or harvested by California licensed entities.
FISCAL EFFECT:
Negligible state fiscal effect.
COMMENTS:
1)Purpose. According to the author, this bill is necessary to
allow California fisherman to organize and sell their wares in
ways similar to popular and well-established certified
farmer's markets. This bill emerged from a stakeholder group
convened by the County of San Diego, which developed
recommendations for legislative changes to state law that
would streamline the permitting process and allow for future
growth of fishermen's markets.
2)Background. Food facilities are governed by the California
Retail Food Code (CRFC), which establishes statewide
standards. CRFC rules are enforced by local environmental
health agencies, which charge fees to food facilities for
local regulatory oversight. Fish and meat can be directly
sold at markets currently, but each purveyor must have a
permit. This bill would streamline permitting requirements
such that a fish market can be consolidated under a single
permit, as is done for certified farmers' markets.
3)Related Legislation.
a) AB 143 (Wood), also being heard today in this committee,
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expands the types of pre-packaged foods a wine tasting
facility can offer while still being exempt from
requirements governing food facilities.
b) AB 234 (Gordon), pending on the Assembly Floor, allows a
"community food producer" to sell whole uncut fruits or
vegetables, or unrefrigerated shell eggs, to any licensed
food facility if the community food producer follows
certain requirements.
c) AB 724 (Dodd), pending in Assembly Health, revises the
definition of community event to include a district fair,
and requires a temporary food facility that meets certain
criteria to be granted a permit to operate at a community
event.
d) AB 1076 (Mayes), pending in Assembly Health, exempts
from the definition of a food facility, a snack bar
operated by a charitable nonprofit organization and
authorizes snack bars to undertake limited food
preparation, as defined.
e) SB 746 (Wolk), pending on the Senate Floor, exempts,
beginning January 1, 2018, grain milled and sold at the
Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park from registration and
other requirements applicable to retail food facilities if
certain conditions are met.
Analysis Prepared by:Lisa Murawski / APPR. / (916)
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319-2081