BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                               AB 1255
                                                               Page  1

       Date of Hearing:   April 15, 2009

                          ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
                              Cathleen Galgiani, Chair
             AB 1255 (Tom Berryhill) - As Introduced:  February 27, 2009
        
       SUBJECT  :  Agricultural seed: county seed enforcement subventions.

        SUMMARY :  Extends the sunset for county subventions for seed  
       enforcement from January 1, 2010 to January 1, 2005.

        EXISTING LAW  permits the California Department of Food and Agriculture  
       (CDFA) to pay counties annually for the costs incurred in the  
       enforcement of California Seed Law (CSL) by the county commissioners.   
       These payments are made to the counties at the discretion of CDFA and  
       upon the recommendation of the Seed Advisory Board (Board), and those  
       counties without activities may receive $100.

        FISCAL EFFECT  :  Unknown.  Legislative Counsel has keyed this bill  
       fiscal.

        COMMENTS  :  CSL was created in 1967 to ensure product accuracy.  In  
       1973 the Board was created and charged with enforcing standards in the  
       seed industry with the industry covering the costs of the program.   
       These standards provide consumer protection by providing germination  
       and purity requirements, and labeling of such on each package.

       While some non-sunset changes have been made to this code section over  
       the last several years, this sunset has been extended multiple times  
       since at least 1993, and was established prior to that date.  Due to  
       this history, the Committee may wish to consider if the sunset should  
       be repealed, making it permanent.

        Previous Legislation  :  AB 856 (Galgiani), Statutes of 2008, Chapter  
       425, provided that CDFA, upon the recommendation of the Board, has the  
       option to not apportion a $100 subvention to counties without  
       registered seed labelers, and specified the apportionment provisions  
       shall remain in effect until January 1, 2010, at which time those  
       provisions shall be repealed.

       AB 315 (Salinas) Statutes of 2003, Chapter 394, extended the funding  
       to counties, totaling $120,000 while it deleted the 30% funding  
       reference for related seed law activities, sunsetting these changes on  
       July 1, 2009.









                                                               AB 1255
                                                               Page  2

        REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION  :   

        Support 
        
       California Seed Association (Sponsors)
       California Agricultural Commissioners & Sealers Association
       Regional Council of Rural Counties

        Opposition 
       
       None on file
        
       Analysis Prepared by  :    Jim Collin / AGRI. / (916) 319-2084