Agriculture: processors of farm products: dealers: licensing: fees.

Existing law requires processors and cash buying processors of farm products to be licensed and to pay to the Department of Food and Agriculture an annual license application fee in accordance with a specified schedule determined by the annual dollar volume of business based on farm product volumes. The department is required to reevaluate that fee structure based on operating costs in fiscal years 1998–99 and 1999–2000 and to submit a report, with specified information, to the Legislature within 60 days subsequent to June 30, 2000. This bill, instead, would authorize the department to reevaluate the fee structure based on operating costs. The bill would also raise certain fees and delete the outdated fee structure and reporting provisions. Existing law authorizes an aggrieved grower or licensee, with a complaint not subject to certain federal laws, to seek resolution of the complaint by filing a complaint, as provided, and paying a $60 filing fee. This bill would raise the filing fee to $100. Existing law provides that the application fees are maximum fees and that the Secretary of Food and Agriculture may fix the fees at a lesser amount or adjust the fees whenever the secretary finds that the cost of administration can be defrayed with the below-maximum fees. This bill would authorize the secretary to appoint an advisory committee of producers and licensees to provide guidance in establishing those fees or to rely on input from any similar advisory committee already assembled by the secretary. Existing law requires that a person engaged in the business of buying, receiving on consignment, soliciting for sale on commission, or negotiating the sale of farm products from a licensee or producer for resale be licensed and pay to the department an annual application fee under similar terms as processors and cash buying processors of food products as described above. This bill would make analogous changes to those described above for processors and cash buying processors of farm products with respect to these licensees, including authorizing the department to reevaluate the fee structure based on operating costs, raising certain fees, deleting outdated fee structure and reporting provisions, raising the complaint filing fees, and authorizing the appointing of an advisory committee to provide guidance in establishing fees. This bill would make other technical, nonsubstantive changes.