BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 1871
Page 1
CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB 1871 (Dickinson)
As Amended August 19, 2014
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |71-5 |(May 29, 2014) |SENATE: |35-1 |(August 21, |
| | | | | |2014) |
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Original Committee Reference: AGRI.
SUMMARY : Recasts and expands the requirements, exemptions, and
fees for Certified Farmers' Markets (CFM), their operators and
vendors, and adjacent non-agricultural markets, and increases
penalties for violations. This bill deletes the January 1,
2018, sunset provisions for this chapter, making its provisions
permanent.
The Senate amendments add poultry products to eligible products
to be sold and made technical, clarifying and non-substantive
changes.
AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY , this bill was substantially similar
to the version approved by the Senate.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Appropriations
Committee, the California Department of Food and Agriculture
(CDFA) indicates that, under the bill, annual costs relating to
oversight of county programs and enforcement would be about
$1.35 million (special fund), reflecting: 1) new oversight and
enforcement personnel, and 2) reimbursement to counties for
investigative work at the local level. However, this bill's
increased fee authority would generate revenues roughly equal to
the higher costs.
COMMENTS : CFMs have become established in many California
communities, as have other outlets for direct marketing, such as
farm stands and community supported agriculture. There are
approximately 800 farmers' markets in California, a significant
number of which operate year-round. The success of CFMs has
created community events around them. Many CFMs have adjacent
non-agricultural markets selling all types of homemade and
commercial products.
AB 1871
Page 2
As CFMs have become more popular, the willingness of a few
producers to sell whatever they could became a concern to many
CFM operators. In 1999, they came to the Legislature and
enacted a daily per stall fee of $0.60, intending it to be used
by CDFA and county agricultural commissioners (CAC) for
inspections and enforcement purposes. Due to the growth of the
program and reductions in the General Fund to CDFA, and
reductions to CAC's budgets, the fee has been used to administer
the program and not for inspection and enforcement, as it was
intended.
This bill establishes a specific inspection and enforcement fee,
increases the amount of the daily stall fee, and broadens the
pool of payers to include those that participate in adjacent
non-agricultural markets. These changes are supported by CFMs
and CACs.
See policy committee analysis for more details and specifics of
this bill.
Analysis Prepared by : Jim Collin / AGRI. / (916) 319-2084FN:
0005112