BILL NUMBER: SB 1354	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  AUGUST 1, 2016
	AMENDED IN SENATE  MAY 19, 2016

INTRODUCED BY    Senator   Galgiani
  Senators   Galgiani   and Nielsen

    (   Principal  coauthors:  
Senators   Berryhill   and Cannella   )

    (   Coauthors:   Senators  
Glazer,   Stone,   and Vidak   ) 

                        FEBRUARY 19, 2016

   An act to add Section 5913.5 to the Food and Agricultural Code,
relating to agricultural pest control, and declaring the urgency
thereof, to take effect immediately.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SB 1354, as amended, Galgiani. Agricultural pest control: Asian
citrus psyllid: Huanglongbing.
   Under existing law, the Department of Food and Agriculture has
various duties relating to the prevention and control of damage
caused by citrus pests and diseases. The Legislature has expressed a
finding and declaration that the citrus killing diseases,
Huanglongbing, citrus leprosis, citrus variegated chlorosis, and
citrus canker, and the associated vectors present a clear and present
danger to California's citrus industry, as well as to other
commodities and plant life.
   This bill would require the department, upon the appropriation of
funds for that purpose, to support specified research activities
relating to the Asian citrus psyllid and Huanglongbing. The bill
would also require the department, upon the appropriation of funds
for that purpose, to work with county agricultural commissioners,
pest control advisors, researchers, the Citrus Research Board, or any
or all of them, to establish a process for voluntary tracking of
best practices for managing Asian citrus psyllid-infested and
Huanglongbing-infected groves, as specified.
   This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as
an urgency statute.
   Vote: 2/3. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 5913.5 is added to the Food and Agricultural
Code, to read:
   5913.5.  (a) The department shall, upon the appropriation of funds
for that purpose, support research activities relating to the Asian
citrus psyllid and Huanglongbing. These activities  shall
  may  include, but  are  not necessarily
 be  limited to, all of the following:
   (1) Finding a cure, suppression tactic, or both, for the bacterium
that causes Huanglongbing.
   (2) Development of early detection techniques to identify diseased
 trees,   trees  to determine if they are
 treatable, and   treatable and,  if they
are not treatable, to eliminate them to protect neighboring trees
from the disease.
   (3) Development of resistant rootstocks, scions, or psyllids.
   (4) Improved psyllid trapping and control methods.
   (5) Expanded biological control availability for the Asian citrus
psyllid in priority areas where there is a reasonable expectation of
success.
   (6) New horticultural methods to maximize crop production in the
presence of Huanglongbing.
   (7) Support for new and existing containment research facilities
for projects investigating Huanglongbing.
   (b) The department shall also, upon the appropriation of funds for
that purpose, work with county agricultural commissioners, pest
control advisors, researchers, the Citrus Research Board, or any or
all of them, to establish a process for voluntary tracking of best
practices for managing Asian citrus psyllid-infested and
Huanglongbing-infected groves. The information collected shall be
used to establish recommended management protocols based on best
available science and treatment outcomes.
  SEC. 2.  This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate
preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the
meaning of Article IV of the Constitution and shall go into immediate
effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:
   Due to the rapid infestation of the Asian citrus psyllid and
increasing Huanglongbing detections, this act is needed to provide
immediate help to prevent this invasive pest and disease from
destroying residential and commercial California citrus trees, and it
is therefore necessary that this act take effect immediately.