BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 751 Page 1 Date of Hearing: April 22, 2015 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Jimmy Gomez, Chair AB 751 (Cooper) - As Introduced February 25, 2015 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Policy |Agriculture |Vote:|10-0 | |Committee: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No SUMMARY: This bill extends the Vertebrate Pest Control Research Program and Advisory Committee within the Department of Food and Agriculture (DFA), until January 1, 2026. FISCAL EFFECT: Annual special fund costs of approximately $500,000 for program research and activities, funded through a $0.50 assessment per pound on pest control materials. Over recent years, assessment revenues have been sufficient to fund program research and AB 751 Page 2 activities. COMMENTS: 1)Purpose. The Vertebrate Pest Control Research (VPCR) Program focuses on finding safe alternative methods to control vertebrate pests. Research and activities are funded with an assessment on the sale of rodenticides, which raises approximately $500,000 per year. The author asserts that without this program, DFA would lose its authority to register rodenticides, which could result in rodenticides becoming unavailable in California. 2)Vertebrate Pest Control Research Program and Advisory Committee. The VPCR Program was established in 1990 following changes by the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to data submission requirements for registering rodenticides and similar products. Certain manufacturers of rodenticides had withdrawn registration of their products with the EPA as a result of additional costs from the data submission requirements. DFA created the VPCR Program and Advisory Committee to support research and funding to meet the EPA's data requirements for registration of rodenticides, enabling manufacturers to continue developing and register their products for use. Funding is supported with an assessment on pest control materials, which DFA may set at up to $1.00 per pound. For several years, that assessment has remained at $0.50 per pound, which the VPCR Advisory Committee contends is sufficient to support current research and activities. 3)Permanent Program? Given this program has existed 25 years and continues to function at current funding levels despite AB 751 Page 3 significant headroom in the statute for DFA to raise fees, the Committee may wish to consider whether eliminating the sunset would provide even greater stability to the program and its research projects. Analysis Prepared by:Joel Tashjian / APPR. / (916) 319-2081