BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  AB 2470
                                                                  Page  1

          CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
          AB 2470 (Salas)
          As Amended  June 11, 2014
          Majority vote
           
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          |ASSEMBLY:  |73-0 |(May 8, 2014)   |SENATE: |34-0 |(August 7,     |
          |           |     |                |        |     |2014)          |
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           Original Committee Reference:    AGRI.  

           SUMMARY  :  Adds "corporation" to the definition of a "person";  
          defines "neighbor", for the purposes of this section, to mean a  
          person living in close proximity, not to exceed three miles, to  
          another; prohibits specified authorities, after January 1, 2015,  
          from adopting or enforcing ordinances over plants, crops, or  
          seeds, as specified; and, makes technical wording changes to the  
          California Seed Law (CSL). 

           The Senate amendments  :

          1)Prohibit, after January 1, 2015, a city, county, or district  
            from adopting or enforcing an ordinance that regulates plants,  
            crops, or seeds without the consent of the California  
            Department of Food and Agriculture; and,

          2)Make technical 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, pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8, negligible state costs.

           COMMENTS  :  The intent of this bill is to clarify and update the  
          CSL, based upon the suggestions of the seed industry trade  
          association and the Seed Advisory Board (board), which reviewed  
          the codes, and determined that these changes were necessary for  
          the proper enforcement of the seed laws, and to clarify the  
          legislative intent of the statute.  Current statute permits  
          certain exceptions to the labeling requirement of seed for sale,  
          including the occasional sale of seed grain, by a producer to  
          his or her neighbor, for use within the county of production.  









                                                                  AB 2470
                                                                  Page  2

          The CSL was created in 1967 to ensure product accuracy for seeds  
          and seed labeling.  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 standards for each package.


           Analysis Prepared by  :    Jim Collin / AGRI. / (916) 319-2084 


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