(a) Notwithstanding Section 13001 or 13002, all moneys collected by the department pursuant to this division shall be deposited in the Fish and Game Preservation Fund and shall be expended solely on the department’s aquaculture program pursuant to this division.
(b) Notwithstanding Section 13220, these moneys are available for appropriation by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act for purposes of this division.
(c) The department shall maintain internal accountability necessary to ensure that all restrictions on the expenditure of these funds are met and shall provide an accounting of the aquaculture program account balance and expenditures upon request of the Aquaculture Development Committee, the commission, or the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture.
(d) Revenues pursuant to this chapter may be used only to pay the costs incurred in the administration and enforcement of the department’s aquaculture program.
(e) (1) The department shall prepare and submit to the Legislature on or before February 1, 2022, and every five years thereafter, a report regarding the aquaculture program undertaken using revenues derived pursuant to that program, the benefits derived, and its recommendations for revising the aquaculture program requirement, if any.
(2) As part of the report required by this subdivision, the department shall analyze the fees and taxes authorized by this division to ensure that the amount of the appropriate fee or tax is sufficient to fully fund the aquaculture program. The department may undertake this analysis more frequently than every five years.
(f) A report to be submitted pursuant to subdivision (e) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
(Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 307, Sec. 8. (SB 1392) Effective January 1, 2023.)