BILL ANALYSIS
------------------------------------------------------------
|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 1891|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|1020 N Street, Suite 524 | |
|(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | |
|327-4478 | |
------------------------------------------------------------
CONSENT
Bill No: AB 1891
Author: Assembly Higher Education Committee
Amended: 6/28/10 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 6-0, 6/16/10
AYES: Romero, Huff, Emmerson, Hancock, Liu, Price
NO VOTE RECORDED: Alquist, Simitian, Wyland
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 74-0, 5/6/10 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Sustainable agriculture research: agricultural
chemicals
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill restores, in statute, the Sustainable
Agriculture Research and Education Program operated by the
University of California. This program was inadvertently
deleted from statute in 2009, as part of an overall higher
education technical cleanup measure.
ANALYSIS : The California Constitution establishes the
University of California (UC) as a public trust
administered by the Regents of the University of California
(Regents). The Constitution grants the Regents full powers
of organization and government, subject only to such
legislative control as may be necessary to insure the
CONTINUED
AB 1891
Page
2
security of its funds, compliance with the terms of
University endowments, other procedures as specified.
This bill requests the UC Regents to establish the
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program
(SAREP) to support competitive grants to promote research
and education on sustainable agricultural practices, and to
support the giving of instruction and practical
demonstrations in agriculture. (This program was
inadvertently deleted from statute in 2009, as part of an
overall higher education technical measure.)
Comments
AB 1182 (Brownley), Chapter 386, Statutes of 2009,
primarily streamlined higher education related reporting
requirements. However, late amendments inadvertently
deleted the authorization of the SAREP. Though the SAREP
did not cease to exist when it was deleted in statute,
since legislation is not necessary to create programs at
the UC (given the university's constitutional autonomy);
however, statutory authorization of SAREP provides
assurances to the sustainable agricultural community that
UC is committed to this program. At the request of the UC,
the Assembly Higher Education Committee agreed to support
legislation in 2010 to restore the statutory authorization
for this UC program.
Background
SAREP is a statewide program within UC Agriculture and
Natural Resources. It was created through the grass roots
efforts of organizational and individuals concerned about
the environmental impacts of agriculture, the health of
rural communities, and the profitability of family farming
operations in California. At the request of the California
Legislature, the UC established SAREP with three mandates:
administer competitive grants for research on sustainable
agricultural practices and systems, develop and distribute
information through publications and on-farm
demonstrations, and support long-term research and
sustainable farming systems on UC farmlands. SAREP has a
national reputation for developing new practices,
disseminating this information on agriculture
AB 1891
Page
3
sustainability, and conducting research with growers on
public and private lands.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/2/10)
Food and Water Watch
University of California
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Beall, Bill
Berryhill, Tom Berryhill, Blakeslee, Blumenfield,
Bradford, Brownley, Buchanan, Caballero, Charles
Calderon, Carter, Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Coto, Davis, De
Leon, DeVore, Emmerson, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fletcher,
Fong, Fuentes, Fuller, Furutani, Gaines, Galgiani,
Garrick, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill,
Huber, Huffman, Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Lieu, Logue,
Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Miller, Monning, Nava, Nestande,
Niello, Nielsen, Norby, V. Manuel Perez, Portantino,
Ruskin, Salas, Saldana, Silva, Skinner, Smyth, Solorio,
Audra Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Torrico,
Tran, Villines, Yamada, John A. Perez
NO VOTE RECORDED: Bass, Block, De La Torre, Gilmore,
Mendoza, Vacancy
CPM:cm 8/3/10 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
**** END ****