Bill Summary for Bill Number Farm Products and Commodity Handlers Act

Date: 01/08/2009

Final
Farm Products and Commodity Handlers Act

SENATE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Votes: View-->	Action Taken:
Moved to amend the Draft Bill, Page 5, lines 7 and Moved to request a draft a bill to continue the re	PASS PASS

02:30 PM -- Sunset Review of the Farm Products Act and Commodity Handler Act

Saul Larsen, Policy Analyst, Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), Office of Policy, Research and Regulatory Reform, explained that the Colorado Department of Agriculture regulates farm products dealers (which includes farm products cash buyers), small-volume dealers, farm products agents, commodity handlers, commodity handler agents and commodity warehouses. He also explained the DORA sunset report includes eight recommendations including recommendations to continue the regulation of farm products and commodity warehouses by the Department of Agriculture until July 1, 2020. (Attachment G).

The following person testified on the sunset of Farm Products Act and Commodity Handler Act

02:35 PM -- Julie Zimmerman, Colorado Department of Agriculture, spoke in favor of DORA's recommendations concerning the sunset of Farm Products Act and Commodity Handler Act. She also responded to questions from the committee regarding the Department of Agriculture's authority to conduct inspections of facilities to enforce the act (Section 10 of the Draft Bill) (Attachment H).

02:39 PM -- Steve Bormann, Colorado Department of Agriculture, responded to questions from the committee concerning the enforcement of the act and the conduct of inspections.

02:45 PM

Tom Morris, drafter for the Office of Legislative Legal Services, responded to questions about a proposed amendment to Section 10 of the Draft Bill concerning inspection of commodity handlers' property.


BILL:	Farm Products and Commodity Handlers Act
TIME:	02:48:29 PM
MOVED:	Hodge
MOTION:	Moved to request a draft a bill to continue the regulation of farm product and commodity warehouses by the Department of Agriculture until July 1, 2020 and seven other DORA recommendations (Attachment H). [Senator Isgar, Chair, Senator Hodge, Vice-Chair]
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Brophy	Yes
	Gibbs	Excused
	Harvey	Yes
	Hodge	Yes
	Isgar	Yes
	Kester	Excused
	Schwartz	Yes
	(None)
	(None)
Not Final YES: 5 NO: 0 EXC: 2 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS


BILL:	Farm Products and Commodity Handlers Act
TIME:	02:49:23 PM
MOVED:	Brophy
MOTION:	Moved to amend the Draft Bill, Page 5, lines 7 and 8, and Page 6, lines 9 and 10, unstrike, i.e., keep in statute, "upon consent of the licensee or upon obtaining an administrative search warrant,". The motion passed on a vote of 5 to 0. [Senator Isgar, Chair, Senator Hodge, Vice-Chair]
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Brophy	Yes
	Gibbs	Excused
	Harvey	Yes
	Hodge	Yes
	Isgar	Yes
	Kester	Excused
	Schwartz	Yes
	(None)
	(None)
Not Final YES: 5 NO: 0 EXC: 2 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

02:51 PM

Senator Isgar offered to sponsor the bill to continue the regulation of farm product and commodity warehouses by the Department of Agriculture until July 1, 2020 and the seven other DORA recommendations.