It’s that time of year again! The 2019 legislative session began on Monday, Jan. 14 in Olympia. This biennial budget-writing session will last 105 days and is scheduled to end on April 28.
WSDA staff, especially the Policy Office and Financial Services, have been working for some months to prepare our legislative priorities. This year, WSDA is proposing five bills for the session; below is a summary of our request legislation.
Also, in September, we submitted proposed budget packages to the Office of Management and Budget. Several of them were included in Gov. Inslee’s proposed budget, unveiled in December.
Remember that as this year’s long session progresses, proposed bills, committee hearings, public input, amendments and negotiations between House, Senate and the Governor’s Office will all affect what is ultimately approved into law, or not. These are the very early stages.
AGENCY REQUEST LEGISLATION
Weights and Measures Fees
The Weights and Measures program needs to update its fee schedule to fully fund operations. The program is supported solely by fees which are no longer sufficient to cover the cost of regulating the accuracy of commercial weighing, measuring, and counting devices. This proposal would set device registration fees, civil penalties, and service agent registration fees at levels that align with costs.
Livestock Inspection Program Closure
WSDA’s Livestock Inspection Program has reached financial insolvency and cannot continue to operate without fee increases that fully recover program costs. The program is entirely supported by industry fees for licensing, livestock inspections and brand recordings. Fee rates no longer reflect adequate compensation for the services. The program currently has a projected budgetary deficit of nearly $1 million dollars at the end of the 2017-19 biennium. Unless the industry and the Legislature can agree on how to sufficiently fund the program, WSDA must cease livestock inspection services.
Expansion of the Electronic Cattle Transaction Reporting (ECTR) System
This request legislation expands the use of the ECTR system to all cattle producers, and would provide cattle owners a voluntary alternative to mandatory inspections when ownership changes. Currently the ECTR system is only available to those producers who sell or change ownership on unbranded dairy cattle. This bill allows WSDA to create a modernized livestock movement reporting system that increases data collection for animal disease traceability (ADT).
Extending Dairy Inspection Program Assessment Expiration Date to 2025
The Milk Assessment fee is set to expire June 30, 2020. It allows our dairy inspection program to comply with the federal Grade-A Pasteurized Milk regulatory standards. The work covered by the milk assessment includes inspecting dairy producers, processing plants, pasteurizer operators, milk hauling companies, truck-wash stations, and milk-container production plants.
Exempting FDA Non-public Information from Disclosure
To protect public health, WSDA collaborates with the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) during food contamination emergencies. This requires accessing information from FDA, such as private product distribution records, which are confidential and protected from public disclosure under federal law. Washington State law does not allow WSDA to provide the same protection. Consequently, FDA has stopped sharing this important information with us. Inaction could affect up to $5 million in FDA food safety contracts to the state. This legislation would align state and federal law and reopen our access to important federal food safety information.
GOVERNOR'S BUDGET
Pesticide Safety Education - $500,000
Ongoing funding would establish two additional trainers for WSDA’s pesticide applicator and handler safety training program to increase worker safety, as well as the number of people safely applying and handling pesticides in Washington. Trainings are provided in both English and Spanish.
Shellfish Coordination - $250,000
Ongoing funding from the Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account (ALEA) would continue shellfish coordination activities in the state. The position serves as a liaison to the Governor’s Office, state and federal agencies, and external partners by conducting outreach and assistance to local governments, growers and for interagency coordination.
Dairy Nutrient Risk Assessment - $200,000
One-time funding to complete a risk assessment of potential effects of applying dairy manure on non-dairy properties. WSDA would partner with Washington State University (WSU), to assess information gathered and identify options for reducing impacts associated with land application.
Washington State Soil Health Initiative - $750,000
Ongoing funding would establish a collaborative research program with Washington State University to assess soil health across Washington and identify practices that improve soil health conditions. Funding includes establishment of a soil health scientist at WSDA.
WSDA Cannabis Program - $1.27M
Ongoing funding to conduct investigative pesticide testing, regulatory compliance, pesticide registration and compliance. This work has been previously funded through an interagency agreement with the state Liquor and Cannabis Board.
State Data Center Transfer - $326,000
One-time funding to move WSDA’s internal servers to the required state server system.
Livestock Inspection Program Closure - $244,000
One-time funding to cover the costs associated with closing the Livestock Inspection program if legislation to fully fund the program is not enacted.
FOLLOW POLICY AND LAW
Any private citizen has the right to provide input on pending legislation, or even to provide testimony to the Legislature.
However, as a WSDA employee, be sure to comply with agency policy regarding political activities (HR-207) and attending legislative meetings (AM-105), as well as state ethics laws. Any personal involvement must be on your own, non-work time and without using state resources, such as computers or cell phones. In addition, you must make it clear that you are NOT representing or speaking on behalf of WSDA.
In summary: As the 2019 legislative session kicks off this week, WSDA has proposed a number of law changes and budget items for state lawmakers to consider. Read about our agency priorities for the long session on the Insider.
