Enrolled  September 14, 2023
Passed  IN  Senate  September 12, 2023
Passed  IN  Assembly  May 25, 2023
Amended  IN  Assembly  May 18, 2023

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 404

Introduced by Assembly Member Connolly

February 02, 2023

An act to add Section 413 to the Food and Agricultural Code, relating to food and agriculture.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 404, Connolly. Department of Food and Agriculture: reporting requirements: certified organic operations.
Existing law, the California Organic Food and Farming Act, requires the Secretary of Food and Agriculture, county agricultural commissioners, and the State Public Health Officer of the State Department of Public Health to enforce state and federal laws governing the production, labeling, and marketing of organic products, as specified. Existing federal law establishes the National Organic Program, which requires operations that produce or handle organic agricultural products to comply with federal organic standards and be certified by a certifying agent, as specified.
This bill would require the Department of Food and Agriculture, contingent upon an appropriation of funds in the annual Budget Act or another statute, to evaluate duplicative reporting requirements that affect certified organic operations, as specified. The bill would require the department, on or before one year after the date that the Legislature makes an appropriation for this purpose, to submit a report to the Legislature, including suggestions to amend or remove unnecessary reporting requirements in order to relieve regulatory burdens on certified organic operations.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 Section 413 is added to the Food and Agricultural Code, to read:

413.
 (a) The department shall evaluate duplicative reporting requirements that affect certified organic operations, including, but not limited to, reporting requirements related to organic certification pursuant to the federal Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. Sec. 6501 et seq.), reporting requirements related to registration with the department pursuant to Section 46013.1, and reporting requirements related to registration with the State Department of Public Health pursuant to Sections 110875 and 110958 of the Health and Safety Code.
(b) On or before one year after the date the Legislature makes an appropriation for purposes of this section, the department shall submit a report to the Legislature, including suggestions to amend or remove unnecessary reporting requirements in order to relieve regulatory burdens on certified organic operations.
(c) The report submitted pursuant to subdivision (b) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
(d) For purposes of this section, “certified organic operation” has the same meaning as the term “certified operation,” as defined in Section 46004.1.
(e) The implementation of this section is contingent upon an appropriation for its purposes by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act or another statute.