BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  AB 1886
                                                                  Page  1

          CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
          AB 1886 (Chesbro)
          As Amended  July 5, 2012
          Majority vote
           
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          |ASSEMBLY:  |47-26|(May 3, 2012)   |SENATE: |36-0 |(August 13,    |
          |           |     |                |        |     |2012)          |
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           Original Committee Reference:    W., P. & W.

          SUMMARY  :  Increases the regulatory fees for aquaculture 
          facilities and expands the duties of the aquaculture program 
          coordinator position within the Department of Fish and Game 
          (DFG).  

           The Senate amendments  make minor technical changes.

           AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY  , this bill:

          1)Expanded the duties of the existing aquaculture coordinator 
            position within DFG to include coordinating with the 
            Aquaculture Development Committee, and provides that the 
            duties of the aquaculture coordinator are to be performed as 
            part of DFG's aquaculture program.

          2)Increased the registration, renewal, surcharge and penalty 
            base fees for aquaculture facilities, effective 2013, as 
            follows:

             a)   Increased the base registration fee from $549 to $800;

             b)   Increased the base registration renewal fee from $250 to 
               $500;

             c)   Increased the registration surcharge for facilities with 
               gross annual sales of over $25,000 from $412 to $600; and,

             d)   Increased the penalty for engaging in aquaculture 
               without paying registration fees from $50 to $150.

          3)Required DFG to provide an accounting of the aquaculture 
            program account balance and expenditures upon request of the 
            Aquaculture Development Committee or the Joint Committee on 








                                                                  AB 1886
                                                                  Page  2

            Fisheries and Aquaculture, and required DFG to provide a 
            report to the Legislature by February 1, 2017, regarding the 
            aquaculture coordinator program as specified.

          4)Required that revenues received from the payment of 
            aquaculture registration fees and surcharges be used only for 
            costs incurred in the administration and enforcement of the 
            program.

          5)Sunsetted the fee increases authorized by this bill after five 
            years, effective January 1, 2018, after which time the fees 
            would revert to existing levels unless a later enacted statute 
            continues the fee increases in effect. 

           FISCAL EFFECT :  According to the Senate Appropriations 
          Committee, pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8, negligible state costs.

           COMMENTS  :  The Senate amendments make two minor technical 
          corrections.  First, they delete every reference to a 
          "registered aquaculturist" and substitute "owner of a registered 
          aquaculture facility." Second, they delete an obsolete reference 
          to Fish and Game Code Section 13004 and insert a reference to 
          Fish and Game Code Section 13220.  In accordance with AB 902 
          (Cortese), Chapter 720, Statutes of 1995, Section 13004 
          regarding appropriations from the Fish and Game Preservation 
          Fund was repealed and replaced with Section 13220. 



           Analysis Prepared by  :    Tina Cannon Leahy / W., P. & W. / (916) 
          319-2096 


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