BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 2716
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Date of Hearing: April 13, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
Bill Dodd, Chair
AB 2716
(Dodd) - As Amended March 10, 2016
SUBJECT: Meat processing establishment, custom livestock
slaughterhouse, and poultry plants: licensing and inspectors.
SUMMARY: Extends for five years the sunsets of three licensing
and inspection programs, including fees, dealing with livestock
and poultry processing. Specifically, this bill:
1)Extends the Livestock Meat Inspector and Processing Inspector
licenses and fees sunset from January 1, 2017 to January 1,
2022.
2)Extends the Licensed Meat Processing and Custom Livestock
Slaughter Establishments licenses and fees sunset from January
1, 2017 to January 1, 2022.
3)Extends the Poultry and Rabbit processing plant application
fees, renewal fees, meat inspector license fees, renewal, and
penalty fees sunset from January 1, 2017 to January 1, 2022.
EXISTING LAW: 1) Requires, until January 1, 2017, each
livestock meat inspector and processing inspector, be licensed
before operating a meat processing establishment or a custom
livestock slaughterhouse and sets annual license renewal fees
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for custom livestock slaughterhouses and meat processing
establishments. Existing law, until January 1, 2017, also
establishes application fees for initial and renewal of licenses
for livestock meat inspectors and processing inspectors.
Existing law imposes a penalty on applicants for renewal who
fail to pay the license renewal fee by an expiration date of the
meat processing establishment, custom livestock slaughterhouse,
livestock meat inspector, or processing inspector, and provides
cause for revocation of the license if the applicant fails to
pay the renewal fee, plus the penalty, within 90 days of the
license's expiration.
2) Existing law provides for the regulation, inspection, and
licensing of meat processing and custom livestock slaughter
establishments and for the regulation and licensing of poultry
and livestock meat inspectors. Existing law, until January 1,
2017, specifies the license application fees for a new,
previously unlicensed poultry plant and for a license
application submitted upon change of ownership of an existing,
previously licensed poultry plant. Existing law, until January
1, 2017, requires that an application for renewal of a license
of a poultry plant, accompanied by a specified renewal fee, be
made on or before the expiration of the license.
3) Existing law, until January 1, 2017, specifies the
application fee for a poultry and rabbit processing plant and
meat inspector license application and the renewal fee of that
licensee. Existing law, until January 1, 2017, imposes a penalty
of $25 on applicants for renewal who fail to pay the renewal fee
by the expiration date of the license, and provides for
revocation of the license if the applicant fails to pay the
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renewal fee, plus the penalty, within 90 days of the license's
expiration.
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown.
COMMENTS: The California Department of Food and Agriculture
(CDFA), under the California Meat and Poultry Supplemental
Inspection Act (Act), are responsible for licensing and
overseeing livestock and poultry slaughterhouses and processing
plants. In 2011, due to general fund (GF) budget shortfalls,
the Meat, Poultry and Egg Safety Branch within CDFA had their GF
reduced by approximately $200,000, and then by approximately
$325,000 in 2012. This had a major fiscal impact to several
public health and safety programs, with programs under the Act
being part of them.
Through discussions with the affected industry and licensees,
CDFA developed a new licensee and renewal fee structure that was
adopted in a Budget Trailer Bill AB 112, (Budget), Chapter 30,
Statutes of 2011, which significantly increased the licensees'
fees while CDFA streamlined the administration of these
programs. These increased fees were given a five year sunset in
order to have both the fees and administration of the program
reviewed.
These programs have operated in a reasonable manner making
continuation of the sunsets without adjustment to the fee levels
a reasonable request.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
AB 2716
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Support
California Farm Bureau Federation (Sponsor)
California Cattlemen's Association
California Poultry Association
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by:Jim Collin / AGRI. / (916) 319-2084