(a) The department shall establish a competitive grants program to make funds available to qualified public and private entities to conduct pest management research projects. All of the research related to pest management funded by the department shall be administered pursuant to this program.
(b) Research conducted pursuant to this section shall have the further development of alternative pest management practices and methods and the further development of pest exclusion detection and eradication methods as priorities. Before making research awards, the department shall assess existing research activities and developments in integrated pest management, alternatives to pesticides, and other alternative pest management practices and methods, including, but not limited to, cultural, biological, and biotechnological research.
(c) (1) The secretary shall establish a Pest Management Research Committee, which shall award all funds under the competitive grants program.
(2) The primary objective of the committee is the further development of pest prevention activities and alternative pest management practices, techniques, and methods that exclude serious pests, as determined by the committee, detect and quickly eliminate small infestations of foreign pests, and reduce pesticide use, minimize or eliminate pesticide residues, or result in the use of safer pesticides. In achieving that objective, the committee shall encourage the development and use of biological controls, integrated pest management, biotechnology, cultural, pest prevention, and other alternative pest management methods that are environmentally sound and economically viable.
(3) The committee shall consist of the following 12 persons, who shall serve at the pleasure of the secretary:
(A) The Secretary of Food and Agriculture or their designee, who shall serve as chairperson.
(B) The President of the University of California or their designee.
(C) The Chancellor of the California State University or their designee.
(D) Two members who represent the agricultural community, one of whom is an experienced organic farmer and one of whom is knowledgeable and experienced in alternative pest management techniques.
(E) Two members who represent pest management researchers, one of whom represents California’s public and private colleges and universities and one of whom represents California’s independent research community, both of whom are knowledgeable in pest prevention, control, eradication, and pest management.
(F) One member who represents public interest organizations, qualified in environmental or public health, or both, and knowledgeable in alternative pest management techniques.
(G) One member who represents the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, with experience in public health or toxicology.
(H) One member who represents county agricultural commissioners, knowledgeable and experienced in alternative pest management techniques and pest prevention, control, and eradication.
(I) One member who represents the Department of Pesticide Regulation, with experience in pest management systems.
(J) One member who represents the State Department of Public Health, with experience in public health.
(4) The committee shall award funds based upon a competitive application process that meets the eligibility of fulfilling, and has the ability to fulfill, the objectives of this section.
(5) The approval of research proposals shall be made by a majority vote of the membership of the committee.
(d) For any proposals funded pursuant to this section, the department shall require reasonable accountability, including performance standards, periodic reports, deadlines, and payments conditioned on compliance with performance standards and deadlines.
(e) Funding for second and subsequent years of a multiyear award shall be contingent upon satisfactory completion by the grantee of the prior year grant objectives or deliverables, as determined by the committee.
(f) In order to facilitate the use of pest management practices and methods developed pursuant to this section, the secretary shall cooperate with qualified public and private entities to provide outreach consultation, information dissemination, and educational services to the agricultural community and other interested parties.
(Amended by Stats. 2024, Ch. 60, Sec. 8. (AB 2113) Effective July 2, 2024.)