1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to agriculture; providing for collection of a 
  1.3             milk handling assessment and distribution of the 
  1.4             proceeds; appropriating money; proposing coding for 
  1.5             new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 32. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  [32.91] [DEFINITIONS.] 
  1.8      Subdivision 1.  [SCOPE.] The definitions in this section 
  1.9   apply to sections 32.91 to 32.93. 
  1.10     Subd. 2.  [ASSESSMENT PERIOD.] "Assessment period" means 
  1.11  the period beginning on the Sunday closest to the first day of 
  1.12  the month and continuing through the Saturday prior to the 
  1.13  Sunday closest to the first day of the subsequent month. 
  1.14     Subd. 3.  [BASIC PRICE.] "Basic price" means the price for 
  1.15  class I milk, as announced each month, that is applicable in the 
  1.16  federal milk marketing order that includes Minnesota. 
  1.17     Subd. 4.  [COMMISSIONER.] "Commissioner" means the 
  1.18  commissioner of agriculture. 
  1.19     Subd. 5.  [HANDLER.] "Handler," with respect to a 
  1.20  particular container of class I or class II product, means the 
  1.21  wholesale handler or, if none, the retail handler. 
  1.22     Subd. 6.  [PERSON.] "Person" means an individual, 
  1.23  partnership, firm, corporation, association, or other unit and 
  1.24  the state and all political subdivisions or agencies of the 
  1.25  state. 
  2.1      Subd. 7.  [PRODUCER.] "Producer" means a dairy farmer in 
  2.2   Minnesota that is permitted by the commissioner for Grade A milk 
  2.3   production or certified for Grade B milk production. 
  2.4      Subd. 8.  [RETAIL HANDLER.] "Retail handler" means a person 
  2.5   who makes "sales at retail" as that term is defined in section 
  2.6   32.70. 
  2.7      Subd. 9.  [SELECTED CLASS I DAIRY PRODUCTS.] "Selected 
  2.8   class I dairy products" has the meaning given in section 32.70, 
  2.9   subdivision 7. 
  2.10     Subd. 10.  [SELECTED CLASS II DAIRY PRODUCTS.] "Selected 
  2.11  class II dairy products" has the meaning given in section 32.70, 
  2.12  subdivision 8. 
  2.13     Subd. 11.  [WHOLESALE HANDLER.] "Wholesale handler" has the 
  2.14  meaning given to "wholesaler" in section 32.70. 
  2.15     Sec. 2.  [32.92] [MILK HANDLING ASSESSMENT.] 
  2.16     Subdivision 1.  [ASSESSMENT.] An assessment is imposed at 
  2.17  the rate established in subdivision 2 on the handling in this 
  2.18  state of class I or class II product for sale in this state.  
  2.19  With respect to the handling in this state of a particular 
  2.20  container of selected class I or class II product for sale in 
  2.21  this state, the assessment must be paid by the wholesale handler 
  2.22  or, if there is no wholesale handler with respect to that 
  2.23  container of selected class I or class II product, by the retail 
  2.24  handler.  There is no assessment on the handling in this state 
  2.25  of selected class I or class II product for sale in containers 
  2.26  that are less than one quart or 20 or more quarts in volume, or 
  2.27  selected class I or class II product that is sold to: 
  2.28     (1) an institution that is owned and operated by the state 
  2.29  or federal government; 
  2.30     (2) public or nonpublic schools; 
  2.31     (3) religious and nonprofit organizations; or 
  2.32     (4) recipients of WIC coupons. 
  2.33     Subd. 2.  [RATE.] The rate of the assessment levied under 
  2.34  this section is established for each assessment period on the 
  2.35  basis of the basic price of milk in effect on the Sunday 
  2.36  following the first Sunday of the assessment period in 
  3.1   accordance with the following chart: 
  3.2                Basic Price                    Rate of Milk
  3.3                                               Handling Assessment
  3.4        $15.50 per hundredweight and above     0 cents per quart
  3.5        $15.00 to $15.49 per hundredweight     1 cent per quart
  3.6        $14.50 to $14.99 per hundredweight     2 cents per quart
  3.7        $14.00 to $14.49 per hundredweight     3 cents per quart
  3.8        $13.50 to $13.99 per hundredweight     4 cents per quart
  3.9        $13.00 to $13.49 per hundredweight     5 cents per quart
  3.10       below $13.00 per hundredweight         6 cents per quart
  3.11     For any container other than a quart, the assessment is 
  3.12  computed on a quart-equivalent basis. 
  3.13     Subd. 3.  [CALCULATION OF ASSESSMENT.] Handlers shall pay 
  3.14  the assessment for each assessment period on all class I or 
  3.15  class II product subject to the assessment sold during the 
  3.16  assessment period.  In calculating the amount of selected class 
  3.17  I or class II product handled for sale in this state each 
  3.18  assessment period, the handler shall deduct any selected class I 
  3.19  or class II product returned to the handler during that 
  3.20  assessment period. 
  3.21     Subd. 4.  [ASSESSMENT AS ADDITIONAL.] Any assessment 
  3.22  imposed and collected under this section is in addition to any 
  3.23  taxes or other assessments imposed or collected under any other 
  3.24  law of the state. 
  3.25     Subd. 5.  [RECORDS, REPORTS, AND ADMINISTRATION.] Every 
  3.26  handler subject to the assessment imposed under subdivision 1 
  3.27  shall register with the commissioner within five business days 
  3.28  of becoming subject to the assessment and annually thereafter on 
  3.29  forms provided by the commissioner.  The list of registered 
  3.30  handlers is available to the public.  By the 25th day of each 
  3.31  calendar month, every handler subject to the assessment imposed 
  3.32  under subdivision 1 shall report to the commissioner, using 
  3.33  procedures and forms provided by the commissioner, the quantity 
  3.34  of selected class I or class II product handled in this state 
  3.35  for sale in this state during the preceding assessment period, 
  3.36  the quantity of selected class I or class II product handled 
  4.1   that was subject to the handling assessment, and any other 
  4.2   information the commissioner determines necessary or useful in 
  4.3   the administration of this chapter and enforcement of the milk 
  4.4   handling assessment. 
  4.5      Subd. 6.  [DUE DATES.] Handlers shall pay to the 
  4.6   commissioner the assessment due for the preceding assessment 
  4.7   period not later than the 25th day of each calendar month and 
  4.8   submit any information required by the commissioner on the forms 
  4.9   provided. 
  4.10     Subd. 7.  [DEPOSIT OF HANDLER ASSESSMENT.] The commissioner 
  4.11  shall deposit all funds received from the milk handler 
  4.12  assessment in the general fund of the state treasury. 
  4.13     Sec. 3.  [32.93] [DISTRIBUTION OF GENERAL FUND 
  4.14  APPROPRIATIONS.] 
  4.15     Money appropriated to the commissioner from the general 
  4.16  fund for purposes of supplementing milk prices to dairy 
  4.17  producers is to be used for payments at a uniform rate, based on 
  4.18  monthly production, to Minnesota Grade A and B milk producers.  
  4.19  Payments under this section apply only to the first 300,000 
  4.20  pounds of milk production from each producer in each month.  The 
  4.21  commissioner may make payments to a responsible person who, in 
  4.22  turn, must pay Grade A and B milk producers at the uniform 
  4.23  distribution rate. 
  4.24     Sec. 4.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  4.25     $22,150,000 is appropriated from the general fund to the 
  4.26  commissioner of agriculture.  Of this amount $22,000,000 is for 
  4.27  payments to dairy producers under section 3; and $150,000 is for 
  4.28  the costs of administering sections 2 and 3.