BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1810
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Date of Hearing: April 20, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Lorena Gonzalez, Chair
AB
1810 (Levine) - As Amended March 29, 2016
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Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No
SUMMARY:
This bill exempts noncommercial seed sharing from the labeling
requirements and the applicable penalty provisions of the
California Seed Law. It also defines "sell" for the purposes of
California Seed Law to include offer, expose, or possess for
sale and to commercial exchange, barter or trade, and states
that the Legislature's intent is not to regulate noncommercial
seed sharing.
AB 1810
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FISCAL EFFECT:
Likely minor and absorbable costs to the California Department
of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) for: 1) Efforts to ensure newly
exempted entities are trading, bartering, or exchanging seeds in
a noncommercial manner; and 2) A reduction in fee collections as
some firms claim non-commercial status.
COMMENTS:
1)Purpose and background. The California Seed Law was originally
passed to ensure the quality of seed sold to California
consumers. The California Seed Law also establishes labeling
requirements for sellers of agricultural, flower, and
vegetable seed. These labeling requirements depend on the kind
of seed offered for sale and the intended use, and they apply
to anyone selling qualified seeds, even if such transactions
do not involve money. According to the author, AB 1810 is
intended to help preserve access to fresh vegetables and
diversify the food supply by exempting noncommercial seed
exchanges (also called seed libraries) from those
requirements. This will help open up community access to
health foods, assist in educating citizens about seed saving,
and preserve the diversity of food.
2)Unintended Consequences. In its current form, AB 1810 may have
an unintended consequence of spreading unregulated seed-borne
pathogens. The author may wish to consider registration
provisions for seed libraries to help CDFA prevent such
consequences.
Analysis Prepared by:Luke Reidenbach / APPR. / (916)
319-2081
AB 1810
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