BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 2487
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Date of Hearing: April 27, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Lorena Gonzalez, Chair
AB
2487 (O'Donnell) - As Introduced February 19, 2016
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Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No
SUMMARY:
This bill requires the Seed Advisory Board to: 1) complete a
comprehensive review of the Seed Services Program, including a
review of the seed laboratory; and 2) prepare and submit to the
Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture
(CDFA) a report on its findings, on or before July 1, 2018.
FISCAL EFFECT:
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Minor and absorbable state costs.
COMMENTS:
1)Background. The Seed Services Program, which is supported
through industry seed assessments and registration fees, does
the following:
a) Regulates the marketing of seeds so that quality
information is accessible and accurate;
b) Tests for seed purity and germination through sampling;
c) Investigates seed complaints and attempts to resolve
buyer/seller disputes;
d) Works to prevent the transmission of noxious weed seeds
through seed products; and
e) Supports research and development of seed biotechnology.
The Seed Advisory Board was created in 1974 to advise the
Secretary of CDFA on matters pertaining to seed regulation,
enforcement, seed laboratory diagnostics, and program budgets.
AB 2487
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1)Report redundancy. In November 2013, the Seed Advisory Board
approved a motion to conduct a "business needs analysis" of
the Seed Services Program. The analysis is scheduled to begin
in April 2016 and will identify how the Program can better
serve the industry and what services are needed to meet future
demands. According to CDFA staff, this analysis will provide
the framework for the "comprehensive review" proposed in AB
2487. However, this bill would establish a deadline for the
evaluation of the Seed Services Program to be completed.
2)Purpose. The author states in order to assess whether the Seed
Services Program meets industry demands, a thorough review is
needed. This bill would ensure that this review is completed
in a timely manner.
Analysis Prepared by:Luke Reidenbach / APPR. / (916)
319-2081