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Minutes for HB2619 - Committee on Agriculture
Short Title
Allowing any documentation required under the Kansas pesticide law to be created or maintained in electronic form.
Minutes Content for Mon, Feb 12, 2018
Chair Hoffman opened the hearing on HB2619 at 4:18pm.
Kyle Hamilton, Assistant Revisor, Office of The Revisor of Statutes, provided an overview of HB2619 and the statutes that it affects. (Attachment 7) There is a Fiscal Note for HB2619.
PROPONENT
R.E. Duncan stood in for Spencer Duncan (who was on vacation), Executive Director, Kansas Pest Control Association, before the Committee in support of HB2619. (Attachment 8) This bill simply allows for the ability to maintain records electronically and provide electronic statements of service to customers, upon request. This practice has been allowed by the Kansas Department of Agriculture since 2014 through executive order. This bill simply puts this practice into law.
Chad Bontrager, Deputy Secretary, Kansas Department of Agriculture, appeared before the Committee in support of HB2619. (Attachment 9) We recognize that as technology advances, electronic statements are a great way to speed up the process of providing service statements to customers and to reduce errors. On October 1, 2014, the Secretary of Agriculture issued a policy statement stating that any person or business required to maintain documentation under the Kansas Pesticide Law, and related rules and regulations, may do so electronically. HB2619 puts this practice into law.
Steve Hitchcock, Government Affairs, Kansas Agriculture Aviation Association, appeared before the Committee in support of HB2619. (Attachment 10) The mobile and geographically wide ranging nature of the work of aerial applicators has made the use of mobile devices a key part of the timely, accurate, and efficient delivery of the services Kansas farmers and ranchers require. To have the compliance and record keeping aspects of their operation under the same umbrella of technology will be very helpful.
Shahira Stafford, Vice President of Government Affairs, Kansas Grain & Feed Association and Kansas Agribusiness Retailers Association, appeared before the Committee in support of HB2619. (Attachment 11) This bill amends the Kansas pesticide law to recognize electronic communication as a valid form of notification of a commercial pesticide application, if the customer agrees to receive the notification in an electronic format. This is a common sense amendment to update the law to reflect current technology and modes of communication
Mandy Roe, Director-Member Services, Kansas Cooperative Council, submitted written testimony in support of HB2619. (Attachment 12)
All conferees stood for questions from the Committee.
There were no opponents/neutrals of HB2619.
The hearing on HB2619 was closed at 4:40pm.
The Chair reviewed the schedule for the rest of the week with the Committee.
Chair Hoffman adjourned the meeting at 4:43pm.
