Brief(1)
S.B. 65 would lower the statutory maximum inspection fee that the Secretary of Agriculture may impose on each ton of commercial fertilizers from $1.70 per ton to $1.67 per ton. In addition, the bill would authorize $100,000 from the Fertilizer Fee Fund to be used to conduct a pesticide use survey.
The amendments to the bill were technical in nature.
Background
This bill was introduced at the request of the Secretary of Agriculture. At the hearing on the bill, the Secretary testified that the fertilizer fee was yielding more money than was necessary to administer the program of fertilizer inspection. She indicated that the agency would need to adopt a new regulation because the agency has a regulation in place that establishes the inspection fee at $1.70 per ton. The Secretary also stated that there is a carryover of approximately $300,000 in the Fertilizer Fee Fund. The Secretary stated that she was proposing that up to $100,000 of this carryover be used to establish data that could one day protect the reasonable use of pesticides in Kansas while the federal Food Quality Protection Act is being implemented.
Also appearing before the Committee in support of the bill were representatives of the Kansas Farm Bureau and the Kansas Fertilizer and Chemical Association. A person representing McKinzie Pest Control also appeared in support of the bill.
The fiscal note on the bill indicates that the Department of Agriculture estimates that the fertilizer tonnage fee reduction would result in decreased revenues to the Fertilizer Fee Fund of $56,000 per year. The note also states that the bill would authorize the use of $100,000 from the Fertilizer Fee Fund for conducting a pesticide use survey. The note indicates that any fiscal effect resulting from this bill would not be accounted for in the FY 2000 Governor's Budget Report.
1. *Supplemental notes are prepared by the Legislative Research Department and do not express legislative intent. The supplemental note and fiscal note for this bill may be accessed on the Internet at http://www.ink.org/public/legislative/bill_search.html.