05/01/2005 01:00 PM Senate FINANCE

                                                                                                                                
     CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 19(FIN)                                                                                              
     "An Act relating to pesticides and broadcast chemicals; and                                                                
     providing for an effective date."                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
This was  the second  hearing for  this bill in  the Senate  Finance                                                            
Committee.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Green  asked the bill's sponsor to recap  the nature of the                                                            
question  that arose during  the Committee's  first hearing  on this                                                            
bill.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MIKE PAWLOWSKI,  Staff  to Representative  Kevin  Meyer, the  bill's                                                            
sponsor,  stated  that the  question  pertained to  the Committee's                                                             
perception  that  the March  18, 2005  Department  of Environmental                                                             
Conservation  (DEC) $221,600  fiscal  note #2  that accompanied  the                                                            
bill was  incomplete. A new  $221,600 DEC  fiscal note, dated  April                                                            
22, 2006  that explains  how the  amounts were  determined has  been                                                            
provided.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Green acknowledged.  She understood that in the future, the                                                            
number of pesticide  registrations  would change due to such  things                                                            
as attrition and  users' decisions not to re-register  products that                                                            
were seldom utilized.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Pawlowski  affirmed that the fiscal  note "assumes" there  could                                                            
be  "up to  a 40-percent  drop  rate  in the  State"  of  registered                                                            
products. However,  several chemical  manufacturing companies  argue                                                            
that  a  significantly  lower  amount of  pesticides  would  be  un-                                                            
registered than the amount  projected by the Department. As a result                                                            
of utilizing  the Department's  projections,  "the level of  receipt                                                            
support  services  divided by  the number  of  registered  chemicals                                                            
could lead  to a lower  fee on the manufacturers".  Therefore,  "the                                                            
fiscal note is based on a worst-case scenario".                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Green ascertained  therefore,  that the  State would  fare                                                            
better, revenue-wise, were its projections incorrect.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
1:52:03 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Green ordered the bill HELD in Committee.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
1:53:08 PM