House Status:
Senate Status:
Senate Status:
Minutes for HB2583 - Committee on Agriculture
Short Title
Relating to the control and eradication of noxious weeds in the state of Kansas.
Minutes Content for Thu, Feb 8, 2018
Chair Hoffman opened the hearing on HB2583 at 3:35pm.
Kyle Hamilton, Assistant Revisor, Office of The Revisor of Statutes, provided an overview of HB2583 and the statutes that it affects. (Attachment 1) There is a Fiscal Note for HB2583. Mr Hamilton answered questions from the Committee.
PROPONENTS
Chad Bontrager, Deputy Secretary, Kansas Department of Agriculture (KSDA), appeared before the Committee in support of HB2583. (Attachment 2) Mr Bontrager reviewed the three major changes that HB2583 would accomplish: Creating the Noxious Weed Advisory Committee and placing the state noxious weed list under regulation; Streamlining the administration of the law by KSDA and county weed departments; and updates the law to accommodate changes as well as address outdated and unused provisions of the statute.
Randy E. Stookey, Sr. Vice President & General Counsel, Kansas Grain and Feed Association and Kansas Agribusiness Retailers Associate, appeared before the Committee in qualified support of HB2583. (Attachment 3) The current statute is cumbersome and time consuming to change. The existing structure might not allow for quick response to address newly discovered damaging weed species. We support regulation that is science-based and has beneficial practical application for production agriculture. We have qualified support of HB2583 and will recommend some changes.
Mike Beam, Sr. Vice President, Kansas Livestock Association, appeared before the Committee in support of HB2583. (Attachment 4) The expensive, time consuming, and never ending task of controlling invasive plant species and noxious weeds is a concern the is regularly voiced by our membership. We have supported similar bills for the last 5 years in hopes of seeing meaningful noxious weed legislation finally make it through the process.
Melissa Wangemann, General Counsel, Kansas Association of Counties, appeared before the Committee in support of HB2583. (Attachment 5) We believe that the time has come to list noxious weeds through the rules and regulations process. Enabling the KSDA and its partners/stakeholders, along with a state advisory committee, to act through a science-based process is a smart way of doing business. The change that modernizes the county budget process will clarify once and for all that counties can appropriate county funds for noxious weed eradication without doing so in a separate budgeted fund.
Mandy Roe, Director of Member Services, Kansas Cooperative Council, submitted written only testimony in support of HB2583. (Attachment 6)
NEUTRAL
Kenny Baccus, President, County Weed Directors Association of Kansas, submitted written only testimony as neutral of HB2583. (Attachment 7)
OPPONENTS
Paul Johnson, Kansas Rural Center, appeared before the Committee in opposition of HB2583. (Attachment 8) Fundamentally, we are opposed to moving the authorization for declaring noxious weeds from the elected Legislature to an "un-elected" government official. We also support the implementation of a mandatory "Driftwatch program" requiring individuals to submit sensitive crop locations so that those applying pesticides can quickly and easily identify areas needing greater protection. Our best case would be for lawmakers and key stakeholders to agree on a consensus on legislation that incorporates noxious weed, pesticide and chemical drift law into one proposal.
Zack Pistora, Legislative Director, Kansas Chapter of Sierra Club, appeared before the Committee in opposition of HB2583. (Attachment 9) This bill and current noxious weed management practices focus too heavily on using chemical controls. Chemical pesticides are harmful to our ecosystem, often causing everlasting trouble for agriculture and our environment. Executive authority, rather than legislative, over listing and managing noxious weed authority may be warranted. However, we cannot advocate for such change at this time unless we develop some compromises - limiting the scope of power for the Secretary and that the proposed Noxious Weed Advisory Committee be better balanced with ecological and health interested.
All conferees stood for questions from the committee.
The hearing on HB2583 was closed at 4:54pm.
