BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                       



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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                  AB 1736|
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                                 THIRD READING


          Bill No:  AB 1736
          Author:   Ma (D)
          Amended:  4/7/10 in Assembly
          Vote:     21

           
           SENATE BUS., PROF. & ECON. DEV. COMMITTEE  : 6-1, 06/14/10
          AYES:  Negrete McLeod, Aanestad, Calderon, Florez, Walters,  
            Yee
          NOES:  Correa
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Wyland, Oropeza

           SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE  :  Senate Rule 28.8

           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  69-3, 5/6/10 - See last page for vote


           SUBJECT  :    Structural Fumigation Enforcement Program

            SOURCE  :     Pest Control Operators of California
                      CA Agricultural Commissioners and Sealers  
          Association


           DIGEST  :    This bill extends the sunset date of the  
          Structural Fumigation Enforcement Program to January 1,  
          2014, and makes technical revisions.

           ANALYSIS  :    

           Existing law
           
          1. Establishes a Structural Fumigation Enforcement Program  
                                                           CONTINUED





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             (Program) in Los Angeles, Orange, Santa Clara, and San  
             Diego Counties, authorizing the County Agricultural  
             Commissioner (Commissioner) of each county to contract  
             with the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) to  
             perform increased structural fumigation inspection and  
             enforcement activities in those counties.

          2. Requires any person who performs a structural fumigation  
             in the county to pay a $5 fee to the Commissioner for  
             each fumigation performed.

          3. Requires the fees collected pursuant to the Program to  
             be used for the sole purpose of funding enforcement and  
             training activities directly related to the Program.

          4. Sunsets the Program on January 1, 2011

          This bill:

          1. Deletes the provision for each Commissioner to contract  
             with DPR to perform inspections under the Program, and  
             instead provides that the Director of DPR shall have  
             oversight over the Program, and requires the  
             Commissioner of each county to perform increased  
             structural fumigation inspection and enforcement under  
             the Program.

          2. Extends the sunset date of the Program to January 1,  
             2014.

          3. Makes technical and conforming changes.

           Background

           The Program was originally established in 1993 as a  
          two-year pilot project in Los Angeles County as a way to  
          help ensure the safety of fumigation operators.  The  
          Program sought to ensure the proper handling of chemicals  
          and the correct use of safety equipment among other  
          important features.  The sunset date has been extended a  
          number of times since then.  In 1996, the "pilot project"  
          status was removed and the Program was expanded to also  
          include Orange County and San Diego County.  In 1999, San  
          Diego County opted out of the Program.  In 2007 the Santa  







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          Clara County was included in the Program, and in 2008, San  
          Diego County was again added to the Program.

          The Program exercises oversight over the structural  
          fumigation industry and DPR inspects fumigation companies  
          to ensure regulatory compliance and protect the public,  
          industry workers, and the environment.  Any person who  
          performs a structural fumigation in Los Angeles, Orange,  
          Santa Clara, and San Diego Counties must pay the county  
          agricultural commissioner a fee of five dollars for each  
          treatment.

          Counties use this fee-generated revenue to increase  
          monitoring of pesticide use through undercover inspections  
          and surveillance.  While the DPR licenses and regulates  
          commercial applicators, dealers, consultants, and other  
          pesticide professionals statewide, the Program originated  
          from an increased need to enforce local structural pest  
          control fumigation laws in counties where most fumigations  
          are performed by collecting fees for more inspectors and  
          research on safer pest control methods.

           Prior Legislation
           
          AB 2223 (Horton), Chapter 450, Statutes of 2008, included  
          San Diego County in the existing Program and extended the  
          sunset date on the program to January 1, 2011.

          AB 126 (Beall), Chapter 379, Statutes of 2007, added Santa  
          Clara County to the existing Program, specified that fees  
          collected under the program shall not be used to supplant  
          other funds and re-established a sunset date of January 1,  
          2010 on the Program.

          SB 230 (Figueroa), Chapter 42, Statutes of 2006, eliminated  
          the July 1, 2006 sunset of the Program in Los Angeles and  
          Orange Counties.

          SB 2026 (B&P Committee), Chapter 1013, Statutes of 2002,  
          extended the sunset date to July 1, 2006.

          SB 1307 (B&P Committee), Chapter 983, Statutes of 1999,  
          removed San Diego County from the Program, and provided  
          that revenues from fees that are collected may be used for  







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          training in addition to enforcement of the structural  
          fumigation enforcement project.  Extended the sunset date  
          to July 1, 2003.

          SB 2238 (B&P Committee), Chapter 879, Statutes of 1998, AB  
          1678 (CPGE&ED Committee), Chapter 982, Statutes of 1999,  
          extended the sunset date to January 1, 2000.

          SB 530 (Kelley), Chapter 71, Statutes of 1996, removed the  
          "pilot project" status, and expanded the Program to include  
          Orange County, and San Diego County in addition to Los  
          Angeles County.  Extended the sunset date to January 1,  
          1999.

          SB 378 (Calderon), Chapter 691, Statutes of 1995, extended  
          the sunset date to January 1, 1997.

          AB 1053 (Tucker), Chapter, 393, Statutes of 1993,  
          established a two-year pilot project in Los Angeles County  
          to perform structural fumigation inspections and  
          enforcement activities.  Required the DPR to contract with  
          the Los Angeles County Agricultural Commissioner for this  
          purpose.  Imposed a $5 fee on each fumigation in the county  
          to pay for the enforcement activities.  Provided that up to  
          five percent of revenue may be used for DPR or county  
          administrative expenses.  Established a January 1, 1996  
          sunset.
          
           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  Yes    
          Local:  Yes

           SUPPORT :   (Verified  6/29/10)

          Pest Control Operators of California (co-source)
          California Agricultural Commissioners and Sealers  
          Association (co-source)
          County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors

           ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT  :    The Pest Control Operators of  
          California, the sponsor of the bill, writes that the  
          Program "provides additional self-generated revenues to the  
          Agricultural Commissioners of Los Angeles, Orange, Santa  
          Clara, and San Diego Counties for heightened fumigation,  
          inspection, and enforcement activities.  The Program is  







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          needed to provide effective review, control, and  
          enforcement of fumigation regulations.  The law protects  
          workers, public health, and the environment from improper  
          and illegal use of fumigants."


           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  : 
          AYES:  Adams, Ammiano, Arambula, Beall, Bill Berryhill, Tom  
            Berryhill, Blakeslee, Blumenfield, Bradford, Brownley,  
            Buchanan, Caballero, Charles Calderon, Carter, Chesbro,  
            Conway, Cook, Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De Leon,  
            Emmerson, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong, Fuentes,  
            Fuller, Furutani, Galgiani, Garrick, Hagman, Hall,  
            Harkey, Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill, Huber, Huffman,  
            Jeffries, Jones, Lieu, Logue, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma,  
            Miller, Monning, Nava, Nestande, Niello, Nielsen, V.  
            Manuel Perez, Portantino, Ruskin, Salas, Saldana,  
            Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Audra Strickland, Swanson,  
            Torlakson, Torres, Torrico, Tran, Villines, Yamada, John  
            A. Perez
          NOES:  Anderson, Gaines, Knight
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Bass, Block, DeVore, Gilmore, Mendoza,  
            Norby, Silva, Vacancy


          JJA:do  6/29/10   Senate Floor Analyses 

                         SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  SEE ABOVE

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