AB 105	Wiggins	Agricultural land preservation.	A-06/02/2003
	06/12/2003-Referred to Coms. on AGR. & WAT. RES. and N.R. & W.
	Existing law establishes the California Environmental Quality Improvement Revolving Loan Program within the Department of Conservation to provide loans to farmers to carry out practices approved for cost-share payments under the federal Environmental Quality Incentive Program. This bill would repeal the provisions establishing that program. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws.
	Click here for Bill text, analysis, votes, etc. Leginfo Link Passed the Assembly and is in Senate Ag and Water Committee waiting for hearing.
AB 815	Wiggins	Horses: agricultural animals.	A-05/12/2003
	05/29/2003-Referred to Com. on AGR. & WAT. RES.
	Existing law regulates livestock operations involving horses, as specified. This bill would classify horses as agricultural animals only for purposes of the eligibility of horse owners for federal grants, as specified.
	Click here for Bill text, analysis, votes, etc. Leginfo Link Passed the Assembly and is in Senate Ag and Water Committee.
AB 923	Firebaugh	State taxes: health care.	A-06/04/2003
	06/05/2003-Read third time, passed, and to Senate. (Ayes 41. Noes 34. Page 2313.)
	The Sales and Use Tax Law imposes a tax on the gross receipts from the sale in this state of, or the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of, tangible personal property. That law provides various exemptions from that tax, including exemptions for farm equipment and machinery, timber harvesting equipment, racehorse breeding stock, diesel fuel used in farming, and liquefied petroleum gas for use in producing and harvesting agricultural products. This bill would repeal those exemptions. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws.
	Click here for Bill text, analysis, votes, etc. Leginfo Link Passed the Assembly and is in Rules Committee to be assigned to a policy Committee. CTBA strongly opposes this bill and we will be activating the “grass roots” effort to communicate our opposition as soon as the bill is referred to committee. This bill would eliminate the tax exemptions for diesel and propane used in agriculture, farm equipment, and racehorse breeding stock. CTBA must agressively oppose the bill. There is a large coalition of farm groups that are opposed and CTBA is a prt of that group, but individual members must also get involved.
AB 924	Maldonado	Trespass.	A-06/10/2003
	06/17/2003-Do pass as amended.
	Existing law provides that , with specified exceptions, any person who, without the written permission of the landowner, owner's agent, or person in lawful possession of the land, willfully enters any lands under cultivation or enclosed by fence, belonging to, or occupied by, another, is for a first offense guilty of an infraction punishable by a fine of $10; and for a 2nd offense guilty of an infraction punishable by a fine of not less $100 nor more than $250. This bill would revise the above penalty provisions to instead provide that for a trespass on the same land or any contiguous land of the same landowner, without the permission of the landowner, the landowner's agent, or the person in lawful possession of the land, a first offense is punishable by a fine of $75 and a 2nd offense is punishable by a fine of $250. The bill would exempt licensed land surveyors engaged in specified lawful and authorized work from these provisions and would make clarifying and conforming changes to these and related provisions.
	Click here for Bill text, analysis, votes, etc. Leginfo Link AB 924 is strongly supported by CTBA. It passed out of the Assembly and the Senate Public Safety Committee and is waiting for hearing in Senate Appropriatons. CTBA will do letter of support.
AB 944	Matthews	Agricultural lands: local plans.	A-06/11/2003
	06/17/2003-In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.
	The Planning and Zoning Law requires that the general plan of a city or county include specified elements, including a land use plan that designates the proposed general distribution and general location and extent of the uses of the land for, among other things, housing, business, industry, and open space, including agriculture. The act also requires that every city and county adopt and submit to the Secretary of the Resources Agency a local open-space plan for the comprehensive and long-range preservation and conservation of open-space land within its jurisdiction and that the plan contain an action program consisting of specific programs to implement the open-space plan. This bill would change references from open-space lands to agricultural and open-space lands, would rename the open-space plan of the general plan as the agricultural and open-space element of the general plan, and would make other conforming changes. The bill would also permit this element of a city or county general plan to include a specified land inventory identifying the type and use of the agricultural land, and goals, objectives, and policies that discourage the conversion of agricultural lands to unrelated uses .
	Click here for Bill text, analysis, votes, etc. Leginfo Link CTBA is watching this bill. It passed the Assembly and is waiting to be heard in Senate policy committee.
AB 1285	Salinas	Vehicles: special license plates: agricultural design.	A-05/12/2003
	05/20/2003-In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.
	Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to design and issue special interest license plates containing the distinctive design or decal of organizations that meet certain criteria. This bill would require the department, in consultation with the California Future Farmers of America Foundation, to issue agricultural special interest license plates, as specified. After deducting its costs in administering this special license plate program, the bill would require the department to deposit all revenue derived under the program, except as specified, in the Motor Vehicle Account in the State Transportation Fund . This bill contains other related provisions.
	Click here for Bill text, analysis, votes, etc. Leginfo Link Passed the Assembly and is waiting for referral to Senate Committee. CTBA has a watch positon.
AB 1780	Committee on Governmental Organization	Gambling establishments.	I-03/26/2003
	05/22/2003-Referred to Com. on G.O.
	The Gambling Control Act provides for the licensure and regulation of various legalized gambling activities and establishments by the California Gambling Control Commission. A recent legislative enactment, Chapter 738 of the Statutes of 2002, reorganized various sections and article headings within the act. This bill would renumber a provision within the Gambling Control Act to correct its placement among those reorganized sections and make conforming changes to it in accordance with that legislative enactment.
	Click here for Bill text, analysis, votes, etc. Leginfo Link Technical bill that passed the Assembly and is waiting for a hearing in Senate.
ACR 33	Nation	Day of the Horse.	C-05/06/2003
	05/06/2003-Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter No. 27, Statues of 2003
	This measure would designate December 13, 2003, as the Day of the Horse.
	Click here for Bill text, analysis, votes, etc. Leginfo Link Signed by the Governor
SB 75	Burton	Agricultural labor relations.	I-01/22/2003
	05/22/2003-From committee: Do pass, but first be re-referred to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 0.) Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
	Existing law provides a mediation procedure applicable to specified agricultural employers and labor organizations that are certified as the exclusive bargaining agent of a bargaining unit of agricultural employees. The procedure permits either party to seek assistance from the Agricultural Labor Relations Board in the event that the parties are unable to reach a collective bargaining agreement. This bill would require the board, by July 1, 2004, to compile a list of all certified labor organizations that have not obtained a collective bargaining agreement with the employer of the agricultural employees represented by the labor organization and to post the list, along with specified information, on the board's Web site. This bill contains other related provisions.
	Click here for Bill text, analysis, votes, etc. Leginfo Link CTBA is watching this bill. It is in the Assembly waiting for a hearing.
SB 707	Florez	Environmental quality: confined animal facilities.	A-05/05/2003
	05/29/2003-In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
	The existing California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of, an environmental impact report on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment, or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. This bill would prohibit the certification of an environmental impact report and the approval of a negative declaration, for any project that includes the construction or alteration of a confined animal facility, as defined, within 3 miles of a city or a "census defined place," as defined, of at least 5,000 persons, unless specified requirements are met. The bill would also prohibit a public agency from approving or carrying out the project unless the public agency finds that a specified buffer zone is incorporated into the project. By imposing additional duties on local agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws.
	Click here for Bill text, analysis, votes, etc. Leginfo Link SB 707 passed the Assembly and is waiting for referral to one or more Assembly Committees. It is strongly opposed by the dairy industry and other ag groups. CTBA is reviewing the latest amendments to see if it would affect Thoroughbred breeders.
SB 993	Poochigian	Criminal threats.	A-04/22/2003
	06/05/2003-To Com. on PUB. S.
	Existing law makes it a misdemeanor to willfully commit a trespass by engaging in specified acts, including, entering upon any lands owned by any other person whereon oysters or other shellfish are planted or growing; or injuring, gathering, or carrying away any oysters or other shellfish planted, growing, or on any of those lands, whether covered by water or not, without the license of the owner or legal occupant; or destroying or removing, or causing to be removed or destroyed, any stakes, marks, fences, or signs intended to designate the boundaries and limits of any of those lands. This bill would make it a trespass to enter upon lands or buildings owned by any other person whereon cattle, goats, pigs, fowl, or any other animal is being raised, bred, fed, or held for the purpose of food for human consumption; or to injure, gather, or carry away any animal being housed on any of those lands, without the license of the owner or legal occupant; or to damage, destroy, or remove, or cause to be removed, damaged or destroyed, any stakes, marks, fences, or signs intended to designate the boundaries and limits of any of those lands. By increasing the scope of an existing crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws.
	Click here for Bill text, analysis, votes, etc. Leginfo Link SB 993 is scheduled to be heard in Assembly Public safety on June 24^th. While it deals strictly with trespassing on property that houses food animals, it is an important bill because it enhances the penalties for trespassing. CTBA hasn’t taken a position since it doesn’t affect the members, but we are watching it closely.
SCA 10	Florez	Legal gaming.	A-06/18/2003
	06/18/2003-From committee with author's amendments. Read second time. Amended. Re-referred to committee.
	The California Constitution prohibits various gaming activities within the state, including casino-style gaming , but authorizes the Legislature to provide for the regulation of horse racing, charitable bingo games, the California State Lottery, Indian gaming pursuant to tribal-state compacts, and charitable raffles. This measure would permit the Legislature, by a statute enacted by a 2/3 vote of the membership of each house, or the people, by an initiative measure approved by a majority of the voters voting on the measure at a statewide election, to provide for an expansion of legal gaming, as defined . The bill would additionally reorganize existing provisions relating to authorized or prohibited gaming activities .
	Click here for Bill text, analysis, votes, etc. Leginfo Link SCA 10 was amended on June 18^th. It is a Constitutional Amendment that would provide that the State legislature, by a 2/3 vote, or the people, by an initiative to provide for an expansion fo legal gaming, as defined. CTBA is researching the measure to determine what the real intent is and to see if it is of any concern.