SF 614 (LSB 1209SZ (2) 88)

SENATE FILE 614

BY  COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS

(SUCCESSOR TO SF 427)
(SUCCESSOR TO SSB 1182)

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to the powers and duties of the department of agriculture and land stewardship, by changing the name of the weather bureau, modifying provisions applicable to demonstration projects involving alternative fuels, transferring certain Code sections, providing for the use of certain appropriated moneys for surface water quality, and eliminating certain watershed demonstration pilot projects. 
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

DIVISION I
NAME CHANGE —— WEATHER BUREAU TO CLIMATOLOGY BUREAU

    Section 1.  Section 159.5, subsection 4, Code 2019, is amended to read as follows:
   4.  Maintain a weather climatology bureau which shall, in cooperation with the national weather service, collect and disseminate weather and phenological statistics and meteorological data, and promote knowledge of meteorology, phenology, and climatology of the state. The bureau shall be headed by the state climatologist who shall be appointed by the secretary of agriculture, and shall be an officer of the national weather service, if one is detailed for that purpose by the federal government.
DIVISION II
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION

COMMERCIAL FEED —— LICENSING

    Sec. 2.  Section 198.4, subsection 4, Code 2019, is amended to read as follows:
   4.  A person obtaining a license under this section shall pay to the secretary a license fee of twenty dollars. The fee shall be paid by July 1 and the license shall expire two years after that on July 1 of the odd-numbered year following the date the license is issued.  A license may be renewed for a two-year period as provided by the department.

FERTILIZERS AND CROP CONDITIONERS —— LICENSING
    Sec. 3.  Section 200.4, subsection 1, Code 2019, is amended to read as follows:
   1.  Any person who manufactures, mixes, blends, mixes to customer’s order, offers for sale, sells, or distributes any fertilizer or soil conditioner in this state must first obtain a license issued by the secretary and pay a twenty dollar license fee for each place of manufacture or distribution from which fertilizer or soil conditioner products are sold or distributed in this state. The license shall expire on the first day July 1 of the second July even-numbered year following the date of issue the license is issued.  A license may be renewed for a two-year period as provided by the department.

BULK DRY ANIMAL NUTRIENT PRODUCTS —— LICENSING
    Sec. 4.  Section 200A.5, Code 2019, is amended to read as follows:
   200A.5  License.
   A person who distributes a bulk dry animal nutrient product in this state must first obtain a license from the department. A license application must be submitted to the department on a form furnished by the department according to procedures required by the department. A license shall expire on July 1 of each the even-numbered year following the date the license is issued.  A license may be renewed for a two-year period as provided by the department.
    Sec. 5.  Section 200A.9, subsection 1, Code 2019, is amended to read as follows:
   1.  A person required to obtain a license as provided in section 200A.5 shall pay the department a ten dollar fee equal to twenty dollars for each place from which the person distributes a bulk product is distributed in this state.
DIVISION III
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

MOTOR FUEL

    Sec. 6.  Section 214A.1, Code 2019, is amended by adding the following new subsection:
   NEW SUBSECTION.  9A.  “Department” means the department of agriculture and land stewardship.
    Sec. 7.  Section 214A.19, subsection 1, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2019, is amended to read as follows:
   The department of natural resources, conditioned upon the availability of funds moneys, is authorized to may award demonstration grants to persons who purchase vehicles which operate on alternative fuels, including but not limited to E-85 gasoline, biodiesel, compressed natural gas, electricity, solar energy, or hydrogen. A grant shall be for the purpose of conducting research connected with the fuel or the vehicle, and not for the purchase of the vehicle itself, except that the money may be used for the purchase of the vehicle if all of the following conditions are satisfied:

COMMERCIAL WEIGHING AND MEASURING DEVICES

    Sec. 8.  CODE EDITOR DIRECTIVE.
   1.  The Code editor is directed to make the following transfers:
   a.  Section 215.26 to section 215.1.
   b.  Section 215.1 to section 215.1A.
   2.  The Code editor shall correct internal references in the Code and in any enacted legislation as necessary due to the enactment of this section.
DIVISION IV
WATER QUALITY

GROUNDWATER PROTECTION FUND

    Sec. 9.  Section 455E.11, subsection 2, paragraph b, subparagraph (3), subparagraph division (d), Code 2019, is amended to read as follows:
   (d)  (i)  Thirteen percent of the moneys is appropriated annually to the department of agriculture and land stewardship for financial incentive programs related to agricultural drainage wells and sinkholes, for studies and administrative costs relating to sinkholes and agricultural drainage wells programs. Of the moneys allocated for financial incentive programs, the department may reimburse landowners for engineering costs associated with voluntarily closing agricultural drainage wells. The financial incentives allocated for voluntary closing of agricultural drainage wells shall be provided on a cost-share basis which shall not exceed fifty percent of the estimated cost or fifty percent of the actual cost, whichever is less. Engineering costs do not include construction costs, including costs associated with earth moving.
   (ii)  Notwithstanding subparagraph subdivision (i), the department of agriculture and land stewardship may use all or a portion of the moneys appropriated in that subparagraph to support programs, projects, and activities related to improving the quality of surface water as well as groundwater.

WATERSHED PLANNING

    Sec. 10.  REPEAL.  Section 466B.32, Code 2019, is repealed.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   GENERAL. This bill relates to the powers and duties of the department of agriculture and land stewardship (DALS) and in certain circumstances impacts the department of natural resources (DNR). 
   NAME CHANGE —— WEATHER BUREAU TO CLIMATOLOGY BUREAU. The bill changes the name of the agency’s weather bureau to climatology bureau to correspond to current practice. 
   AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION —— LICENSES —— COMMERCIAL FEED, FERTILIZERS AND CROP CONDITIONERS, AND BULK DRY ANIMAL NUTRIENT PRODUCTS. The bill amends a number of provisions in various Code chapters providing for the issuance of licenses to manufacturers or distributors of commercial feed, manufacturers of fertilizers and soil conditioners, and distributors of bulk dry animal nutrient products. In the case of licenses for commercial feed and of fertilizers and soil conditioners, a license remains valid for a two-year period. For commercial feed, the license would expire on July 1 of each odd-numbered year and for fertilizers and soil conditioners, the license would expire on July 1 of an even-numbered year. In the case of bulk dry animal nutrient products, the license would for be for a two-year rather than one-year period expiring on July 1 of each even-numbered year. The license fee would increase from $10 to $20 for each place of distribution. 
   WEIGHTS AND MEASURES —— MOTOR VEHICLE FUEL. The bill provides that DALS rather than DNR may award demonstration grants to persons who purchase motor vehicles operated using alternative fuels. 
   WEIGHTS AND MEASURES —— COMMERCIAL WEIGHING AND MEASURING DEVICES —— RELOCATION. The bill requires the Code editor to transfer certain Code sections (e.g., definitional section) relating to the regulation of commercial weighing and measuring devices for purposes of enhancing readability. 
   WATER QUALITY —— GROUNDWATER PROTECTION FUND. The bill amends a provision which allocates moneys to DALS from the agriculture management account of the groundwater protection fund. It authorizes DALS to use any of those moneys to support programs, projects, and activities related to improving the quality of surface water or groundwater. 
   WATER QUALITY —— WATERSHED PLANNING. The bill eliminates a provision that authorizes DALS and DNR to establish one or more watershed demonstration projects.