South Dakota state lawmakers are considering a bill that will raise prices for pesticide makers and applicators in South Dakota. The South Dakota Department of Agriculture’s ag services director Taya Runyan explained the status of three funds and the long term funding needs moving into the future.
"Of the three funds overseen by the department the three funds registration fee, one is significantly over drawn as of today. One has only couple dollars. And the weed and pest fund maintain a balance of 800,000 which is why chose no other burden on the committee today."
One section of the bill allows a government license holder to also use that same license for private application work.
"We would be repealing the commercial licensee fees for government position, but it also removes the need for any applicator to apply those pesticide to obtain a separate license which was the motivation. The repeal of the exemption but it removes requirement the government entity required to pay for any license. Any government employee who would hold a license would have that value and could do other work with it outside of government work, just like the private sector or their employer it’s up to them who would bear the burden of the cost. No cost under our proposal unless they chose to ensure that cost."
Chris Petersen, the Department of Ag’s budget director, laid out the number for committee members focusing on the pesticide recycling program and why increasing the current fee from $20 to $40 will make the program more sustainable.
"The last two years expenditure average $380 thousand, but last year it was $421, thousand. This program is mandatory in statute but provides a good service but recycles those pesticides in state so the more effort the more cost effective is to do that work. The pesticide recycling program gets its funding from one source and that is the pesticide registration fee and that is $20.00 on average there is 11,000 products register that fee would increase by $20.00 and the full revenue would go to $420,000 dollars. The average was $421, a line item revenue. Would allow that program to sustain itself going forward for a number of years."
Senator Rocky Blare, of Ideal, addressed an amendment that will provide a five-dollar registration fee increase.
"Basically, we are looking at five-dollar shift in registration fee it’s not a burden on registration fee for register products we are still way in line. We need to keep this a viable e program. We want to encourage private applicators by not addressing fee this will offset cost and a sustainable program an don’t come back asking for fees I was worried, we are putting flexibility, it should s ensure, it does not guarantee but it gives flexibility and should not be needed see it in…to add those fees onto our private applicators."
Members of the committee moved the bill to the committee on appropriations for further consideration due to the fee increases and additional funding needs. You can follow the progress of SB24 by visiting us online at sd.net.