AN ACT
RELATING TO AGRICULTURE;
AMENDING SECTIONS OF THE ORGANIC COMMODITY ACT TO COMPLY WITH FEDERAL
REGULATIONS.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE
LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
Section
1. Section 76-22-5 NMSA 1978 (being Laws
1990, Chapter 122, Section 5) is amended to read:
"76-22-5. ORGANIC MARKET DEVELOPMENT FUND
CREATED.--There is created in the state treasury the "organic market
development fund". No money
appropriated to this fund or accruing to it through cooperative research
agreements, gifts, grants, bequests, including bequests from a private, public,
nonprofit or any other source, advertising, fees from conferences or workshops,
civil penalties, sales of promotional items or educational materials, speaker
fees, agricultural input approval fees, handbooks, grant administrative costs
or any other sources, shall be transferred to another fund or encumbered or
disbursed in any manner except for activities conducted pursuant to the Organic
Commodity Act. The fund shall not revert
at the end of any fiscal year. All interest
earned on the fund shall remain in the fund.
Disbursements from the fund shall be made only upon warrant drawn by the
secretary of finance and administration pursuant to vouchers signed by the
chairman of the commission or his designee for the purpose of paying the cost
of the commission's activities conducted pursuant to the Organic Commodity
Act."
Section
2. Section 76-22-6 NMSA 1978 (being Laws
1990, Chapter 122, Section 6, as amended) is amended to read:
"76-22-6. ORGANIC COMMODITY COMMISSION CREATED.--
A. There is created the "organic commodity
commission" to achieve the purposes set forth in Section 76‑22-2
NMSA 1978.
B. The commission shall be composed of five
members appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the
senate.
C. The commission shall elect one of its members
to serve as chairman, one to serve as vice chairman, one to serve as secretary
and one to serve as ombudsman. A
majority of the members of the commission constitutes a quorum for the
transaction of business.
D. All commission members shall be residents of
New Mexico, and, if a commissioner is certified by the commission, that
commissioner shall also be certified by another certifying agent.
E. The
commission members shall serve staggered terms of four years with a minimum
term of two years.
F. Members of the commission shall be
compensated as provided in the Per Diem and Mileage Act, but shall receive no
other compensation, perquisite or allowance."
Section
3. Section 76-22-14.1 NMSA 1978 (being
Laws 2001, Chapter 157, Section 5) is amended to read:
"76-22-14.1. CERTIFYING AGENTS--REPORTS TO COMMISSION.‑-A
certifying agent, other than the commission, that certifies any food article in
New Mexico as being organically produced shall:
A. simultaneous with its issuance, report to the
commission any information regarding denials of certification, notifications of
noncompliance, notifications of noncompliance correction, notifications of
proposed suspension or revocation and notifications of suspension or revocation
sent to any person in New Mexico;
B. on January 2 of each year, submit to the
commission a list, including the name, address and telephone number of each
operation granted certification in New Mexico during the preceding year; and
C. pay an annual fee to the commission that
shall reasonably reflect the cost of enforcing the Organic Commodity Act with
respect to that certifying agent."
Section
4. Section 76-22-16 NMSA 1978 (being
Laws 1990, Chapter 122, Section 16, as amended) is amended to read:
"76-22-16. LEVY OF ASSESSMENT--ORGANICALLY PRODUCED FOOD
ARTICLES--SALES.--
A. The commission may impose and collect
assessments as follows:
(1) producers and handlers shall be assessed at
an annual rate not to exceed one-half percent of the total gross sales of the
organically produced food articles;
(2) certified handling operations may be assessed
at an annual rate of one-fourth percent of the total price of the services; and
(3) purveyors of materials as set forth in the
federal materials list shall be registered with the commission and assessed at
an annual rate not to exceed one-half percent of the total gross sales of the
class of materials appearing on that list.
B. The commission, following notice and comment,
may adjust the assessment rate up or down by no more than one hundred
percent."
Section
5. Section 76-22-22 NMSA 1978 (being
Laws 1990, Chapter 122, Section 22) is amended to read:
"76-22-22. STATE ORGANIC CHEMIST--DUTIES.--The
commission may designate a "state organic chemist". The state organic chemist shall hold a
doctoral degree in chemistry or a related field and shall be knowledgeable and
experienced in the techniques used for testing soil and plant and animal tissue
for pesticide and fertilizer residues.
The chemist may be an employee of a private laboratory or an employee of
an agency of the state. The chemist
shall perform duties as prescribed by the commission."