WSR 17-07-128

PREPROPOSAL STATEMENT OF INQUIRY

[Filed March 22, 2017, 11:20 a.m.]

Subject of Possible Rule Making: Chapter 16-501 WAC, WSDA procedural rules—Commodity boards or commissions.

Statutes Authorizing the Agency to Adopt Rules on this Subject: RCW 43.23.025, 15.24.215, 15.26.265, 15.28.320, 15.44.19 [15.44.190], 15.65.670, 15.66.263, 15.88.180, 15.89.150, 15.115.240, 16.67.195, and chapter 34.05 RCW.

Reasons Why Rules on this Subject may be Needed and What They Might Accomplish: The director has established, by rule, a method to fund administrative staff support given by the department to all commodity boards and commodity commissions. The board or commission's annual contribution to the department for administrative support is formulated based on the previous year's assessments received by those boards or commissions. In order to distribute administrative support costs fairly, the department is considering including revenue collected by the beer commission from beer festivals to the base formula to determine a board or commission's contribution.

Other Federal and State Agencies that Regulate this Subject and the Process Coordinating the Rule with These Agencies: None.

Process for Developing New Rule: Department staff will discuss any proposed amendments with affected stakeholders. Affected stakeholders will also have an opportunity to submit written comments on the proposed rules during the public comment period and will be able to present oral testimony at the public hearing.

Interested parties can participate in the decision to adopt the new rule and formulation of the proposed rule before publication by contacting Teresa Norman, Washington State Department of Agriculture, P.O. Box 42560, Olympia, WA 98504, (360) 902-2043, tnorman@agr.wa.gov.

March 22, 2017

Kirk Robinson

Deputy Director