CCS/HS/SB 310 - This act extends the Ethanol Producer Incentive Fund expiration date from December 31, 2000, to December 31, 2007. It is similar to HB 152, HB 153 and SB 423.

This act also removes the expiration date for the Department of Agriculture Demonstration Awards. In any one fiscal year not more than thirty such awards shall be made for projects showing new agricultural technology and farm management strategies. No award shall exceed $4,500 dollars.

Under current law animals with contagious diseases are appraised by the owner and the Department of Agriculture before they are destroyed and the value so set is a legal claim against the state. This act allows the Director of the Department of Agriculture to set the amount to be paid to the owner.

This act exempts from the definition of "Grain Dealer", as defined in Chapter 276, any person whose total grain purchases from producers during the fiscal year do not exceed $100,000. Small feed dealers may purchase grain without being a licensed "grain dealer" thereby avoiding many transfer and payment provisions of the grain dealer law.

This act sets forth meat packer requirements for reporting the prices paid by meat packers for livestock as well as the terms of contracts. Packers may not discriminate in prices paid or offered for livestock with certain exceptions. All meats offered for sale at wholesale or retail shall be conspicuously labeled with the country of origin. Purchasers of certain quantities of livestock are exempt from the price reporting requirement. A sunset provision of December 31, 2002, is placed on the meat packer price-reporting requirements.

Finally, this act requires the Division of Energy in the Department of Natural Resources to develop a plan for providing financial assistance to political subdivisions to develop alternative fuels.
ELIZABETH BAX