General ProvisionsFees

Section § 19700

Explanation

This law requires the Secretary of Agriculture to set fees that cover the costs of managing rules about how animals are housed. These costs can include things like certifications, inspections, and audits. The money collected from these fees should match the department's budget each year, and the Secretary can adjust the fees if needed to match spending needs. The fees should also cover any previous loans taken for these purposes. The fees collected must be tracked separately in the Department of Agriculture's accounts.

(a)Copy CA Food And Agriculture Code § 19700(a)
(1)Copy CA Food And Agriculture Code § 19700(a)(1) The secretary shall adopt, by regulation, fees to cover the department’s reasonable regulatory costs of the administration, implementation, and enforcement of laws governing the confinement of animals, as described in Chapter 13.8 (commencing with Section 25990) of Division 20 of the Health and Safety Code.
(2)CA Food And Agriculture Code § 19700(a)(2) Costs of administration, implementation, and enforcement may include, but are not limited to, costs incurred for the department’s role in registration, certification, inspections, and audits.
(b)Copy CA Food And Agriculture Code § 19700(b)
(1)Copy CA Food And Agriculture Code § 19700(b)(1) The total revenue collected each year through the fees imposed pursuant to this section shall be set at an amount equal to the expenditure levels set forth in the Budget Act of each fiscal year for the activity described in subdivision (a).
(2)CA Food And Agriculture Code § 19700(b)(2) The secretary may adjust the fees each fiscal year to conform to the expenditure levels set forth in the Budget Act for this activity, plus any share of statewide general administrative costs assessed to the Department of Agriculture Account, Department of Food and Agriculture Fund for that fiscal year. Fee adjustments for this purpose shall not be subject to Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
(3)CA Food And Agriculture Code § 19700(b)(3) If the secretary determines that the revenue collected during the preceding year was greater than, or less than, the expenditure levels set forth in the Budget Act, the secretary may further adjust the fees to compensate for the over or under collection of revenue.
(c)CA Food And Agriculture Code § 19700(c) The fees established in subdivision (a) shall include amounts sufficient to repay any amount loaned from the Department of Agriculture Account, Department of Food and Agriculture Fund in the 2020–21 and 2021–22 fiscal years to pay for the department’s reasonable regulatory costs of the administration, implementation, and enforcement conducted under laws governing the confinement of animals, as described in Chapter 13.8 (commencing with Section 25990) of Division 20 of the Health and Safety Code.
(d)CA Food And Agriculture Code § 19700(d) The fees collected by the secretary pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be separately accounted for in the Department of Agriculture Account, Department of Food and Agriculture Fund.
animal confinement fees regulatory costs department role in inspections ...