BILL ANALYSIS



S.B. 700
By: Sims (Swinford)
4-4-95
Committee Report (Unamended)


BACKGROUND

Under current law the Texas Department of Agriculture registers
more than 11,000 pesticide products each year.  However,
approximately 80% of these products are re-registered with no
changes to the label from the previous year.  Less than 5% of these
11,000 registrations are for limited-use products.  This results in
a shuffling of paperwork and thousands of documents being mailed
each year relating to labels that don't change.  Most of the labels
are also received and reviewed during a very narrow time frame
during the year causing work backlogs.

Any change in a pesticide label would require review, so this
process would not bypass new labels. 

PURPOSE

SB 700 allows the registration of pesticides biennially with
staggered times for renewal, instead of annually on December 31.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill expressly grants
rulemaking authority to the Texas Department of Agriculture in
SECTION 1 (a) to adopt a system under which registrations expire on
various dates during the year.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1: Amends Sections 76.043 (a) and (c), Agricultural Code,
stipulating 
that the expiration date of a pesticide is on the second
anniversary of the date of its approval or renewal except that the
Department of Agriculture shall by rule adopt a system of staggered
expiration dates for registrations.  Deletes December 31, annually
as the expiration date.

SECTION 2:     Section 76.044 (a), Agricultural Code, is amended to
change the pesticide registration fee from $100 to $200.

SECTION 3: A registration in effect on the effective date of this
Act remains so until the registration expires or is revoked by the
department.

SECTION 4: Emergency clause.

SUMMARY OF COMMITTEE ACTION

SB 700 was considered by the House Committee on Environmental
Regulation in a public hearing on April 4, 1995.  Rep. Swinford
testified in favor of the bill.  SB 700 was reported favorably
without amendment with the recommendation that it do pass and be
printed, by a record vote of six (6) ayes, no (0) nays, no (0) pnv,
and three (3) absent.