Status (overview) of bill: https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2019R1/Measures/Overview/HB2059
This bill allows State Department of Agriculture to impose fee increases on certain licenses concerning food production to operate the food safety program – extends sunset to July 1, 2025.
Personal Choice and Responsibility
Imposes higher food production prices that are passed on to consumers.
Fiscal Responsibility
Funds were taken from the food safety program previously, which increases the need for fee increases. Extending the sunset allows the state to continue increasing fees at a maximum of 3% per year until July 1, 2025, which at that date establishes the maximum fee for licensing following that date. The sunset expired on July 1, 2018, technically making this a new fee and not an extension. Between taking funds and the expiration, it doesn’t seem the fees are justified or really needed.
Free Markets
Allows government to raise fees on food products for the monitoring of food safety, but increased costs of business are passed down to consumers.
Leave it to the Democrats to add more taxes (a.k.a. fees) on food production which increases the price of food we the people need to buy to survive. Thanks Governor Brown for requesting this increase of our food costs, shrinking the amount of food we can afford to buy to feed our families.
Higher food prices are a hardship.