BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  SB 556
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   July 11, 2007 

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                  Mark Leno, Chair

                    SB 556 (Wiggins) - As Amended:  July 2, 2007 

          Policy Committee:                             Agriculture  
          Vote:8-0 (Consent)

          Urgency:     Yes                  State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:               

           SUMMARY  

          This bill creates, until January 1, 2019, the Light Brown Apple  
          Moth (LBAM) Program at the Secretary of the Department of Food  
          and Agriculture (CDFA) to address the environmental and economic  
          impacts of the spread of the LBAM in California and to eradicate  
          the LBAM in this state.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          1)Potential moderate costs, in the range of $600,000 annually  
            starting in 2007-08, to the CDFA to administer the LBAM  
            Program.  This bill creates the LBAM Account consisting of  
            money made available from the federal government and other  
            sources or transferred from the GF.

          2)Substantial GF cost pressures, in the millions of dollars  
            annually starting in 2008-09, to the CDFA to conduct LBAM  
            eradication operations.  (LBAM Account) 

           COMMENTS  

           1)Rationale  .  The author argues that quick action needs to be  
            taken to address the environmental and economic impacts of the  
            spread of the LBAM in California.  Light Brown Apple Moths  
            have recently been detected in several Bay Area counties and  
            the Counties of Monterey and Santa Cruz.  This moth destroys,  
            stunts or deforms young seedlings, spoils the appearance of  
            ornamental plants, and injures deciduous fruit tree crops,  
            citrus and grapes.  CDFA has established quarantine areas in  
            these counties and the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently  
            acted to restrict the interstate movement of nursery stock,  








                                                                  SB 556
                                                                  Page  2

            cut flowers and greenery from these counties and the State of  
            Hawaii to prevent the spread of the moth.

           2)Related Legislation  .  AB 1021 (Galgiani) enhances the CDFA's  
            ability to identify pests and diseases that threaten the apple  
            industry, and establishes penalties for unlawful handling of  
            apples and failure to provide required records and reports.   
            AB 1021 requires the CDFA Secretary to appoint an 11-member  
            apple committee comprised of four producers, four handlers, a  
            licensed pest control advisor, and a representative from the  
            University of California.

           Analysis Prepared by  :    Steve Archibald / APPR. / (916)  
          319-2081