BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



          SENATE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
                          Senator Cathleen Galgiani, Chair
                                2015 - 2016  Regular 

          Bill No:           AB 751          Hearing Date: 6/30/15
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
          |Author:    |Cooper                                               |
          |-----------+-----------------------------------------------------|
          |Version:   |2/25/15                                              |
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
           ---------------------------------------------------------------- 
          |Urgency:   |No                    | Fiscal:   |Yes              |
           ---------------------------------------------------------------- 
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
          |Consultant:|Anne Megaro                                          |
          |           |                                                     |
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
          
            Subject:  Vertebrate pest control research:  repeal extension


           SUMMARY  :
          This bill would extend the repeal date for provisions relating  
          to vertebrate pest control from January 1, 2016 to January 1,  
          2026.

           BACKGROUND AND EXISTING  
          LAW  :
          The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is  
          required to establish a vertebrate pest control research program  
          to investigate effective and economical alternative methods for  
          the control of vertebrate pests.  The program cooperates with  
          the United States Department of Agriculture to fund research  
          programs to maintain, develop, and register vertebrate pest  
          control products used in California.  Vertebrate pest control  
          materials registered by CDFA may only be sold or distributed by  
          a county agricultural commissioner (Food and Agricultural Code §  
          6025 et seq.).

          Rodents and other vertebrate pests cause millions of dollars of  
          damage to California agricultural crops every year, and these  
          pests are known to carry diseases that may be spread to  
          livestock, other animals, or humans.  Pest control efforts help  
          to mitigate crop damage and the spread of diseases, and new  
          controls are continuously researched to find alternative methods  
          and materials that are humane, effective, and economical.

          Existing law:








          AB 751 (Cooper)                                    Page 2 of ?
          
          
             1)   Requires CDFA to establish a research program on the  
               control of vertebrate pests that pose a significant threat  
               to the welfare of the state's agricultural economy,  
               infrastructure, and the public.  (Food and Agricultural  
               Code §6025.5).

             2)   Requires the secretary to establish the Vertebrate Pest  
               Control Research Advisory Committee (VPCRAC) to annually  
               recommend priorities and costs for conducting various  
               vertebrate pest control research projects.
             3)   Requires county agricultural commissioners to pay to  
               CDFA a maximum assessment fee of $0.50 per pound of  
               vertebrate pest control material sold, distributed, or  
               applied by the county.  The maximum may be increased to $1  
               after consultation with VPCRAC.

             4)   Limits expenditure of funds to reasonable administrative  
               and operational expenses, federal and state regulatory fees  
               for material registration, basic and applied research, and  
               educational outreach.

             5)   Repeals provisions relating to vertebrate pest control  
               on January 1, 2016.

             6)   Authorizes the use of carbon monoxide (CO) for the  
               control of burrowing rodent pests, provided that proper  
               warning labels are visible, permanently affixed, and  
               compliant with existing laws and regulations. This code  
               section has a sunset date of January 1, 2018, which is  
               different than the sunset date for the remaining provisions  
               in this article (Food and Agricultural Code §6025.4).

           PROPOSED  
          LAW  :

          This bill:

             1)   Extends the repeal date for provisions relating to  
               vertebrate pest control from January 1, 2016 to January 1,  
               2026.

           ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT:
           
          According to the author, "Each year rodents such as ground  
          squirrels, pocket gophers, and rats along with coyotes, birds  








          AB 751 (Cooper)                                    Page 3 of ?
          
          
          and other animals cause millions of dollars of damage to  
          California's agriculture, infrastructure, and public health.   
          Farmers, park managers, foresters, and others, including  
          homeowners, use an integrated approach to deal with these  
          important and frequently devastating pest problems.  To address  
          serious vertebrate pest problems in the State, rodenticide baits  
          are sold by county agricultural commissioner's offices.  These  
          materials are essential for farmers, resource managers, public  
          health agents and others to deal with the many vertebrate pest  
          problems throughout the state." 

           COMMENTS  :

          Sunset Date.  The sunset dates for these provisions have been  
          extended several times since their enactment in 1990, and this  
          bill marks the third extension within 15 years.  Given that  
          these provisions fund research projects, the committee may wish  
          to consider if the sunset date should be repealed and provisions  
          made permanent, thus providing stability to multi-year research  
          projects.

           RELATED  
          LEGISLATION  :

          SB 1332 (Wolk), Chapter 257, Statutes of 2014.  Authorizes the  
          director of the California Department of Pesticide Regulation to  
          adopt and enforce regulations that provide for the proper, safe,  
          and efficient use of carbon monoxide pest control devices.

          AB 634 (Huber), Chapter 407, Statutes of 2011.  Allows the use  
          of carbon monoxide to control burrowing vertebrate pests.

          SB 872 (Denham/Florez), Chapter 176, Statutes of 2005.  Extends  
          the repeal date for provisions relating to vertebrate pest  
          control from January 1, 2006 to January 1, 2016.  This bill also  
          defines "research," limits fund expenditures as specified, and  
          makes other technical changes.

          AB 2071 (Briggs), Chapter 338, Statutes of 2000.  Among other  
          provisions, extends the repeal date for provisions relating to  
          vertebrate pest control from January 1, 2001 to January 1, 2006.

           PRIOR  
          ACTIONS :
                         








          AB 751 (Cooper)                                    Page 4 of ?
          
          
           ------------------------------------------------------------------ 
          |Assembly Floor:                       |80 - 0                     |
          |--------------------------------------+---------------------------|
          |Assembly Appropriations Committee:    |17 - 0                     |
          |--------------------------------------+---------------------------|
          |Assembly Agriculture Committee:       |10 - 0                     |
          |                                      |                           |
           ------------------------------------------------------------------ 

           SUPPORT  :
          
          California Alfalfa & Forage Association
          California Citrus Mutual
          California Farm Bureau Federation
          California Fresh Fruit Association

           OPPOSITION  :
          
          None received

                                      -- END --