MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

2001 Regular Session

To: Agriculture

By: Senator(s) Stogner

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 69-37-21, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO EXTEND THE REFERENDUM ON THE BOLL WEEVIL ERADICATION PROGRAM TO TEN YEARS; TO REQUIRE CERTAIN REPORTS; TO LIMIT THE ASSESSMENT FEES; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. Section 69-37-21, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

69-37-21. (1) In the event any referendum conducted under this chapter fails to receive the required number of affirmative votes, the bureau, with the consent of the Certified Cotton Growers Organization, may be authorized to call other referenda.

(2) After the passage of any referendum, the eligible voters shall be allowed, by subsequent referenda to be held at least every ten (10) years or upon recommendation of the certified growers committee, to vote on whether to continue with the program and/or to modify the assessment fee. Upon petition by twenty percent (20%) of the voting cotton growers within a designated region, the Certified Cotton Growers Organization shall be required to conduct a subsequent referendum on the question called in the petition, provided that the Certified Cotton Growers Organization is required to hold no more than one (1) petitioned referendum for each designated management region during any given calendar year. All the requirements for an initial referendum must be met in any subsequent referenda. The results of each referendum, along with annual audits of all monies expended on programs affected by the referendum, shall be reported each year to the Lieutenant Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Chairmen of the Senate Agriculture Committee and the House of Representatives Agriculture Committee.

(3) It is the intent of the Legislature that the cost of the containment/maintenance phase of the boll weevil eradication program be borne by the producers, and that any subsequent debt incurred by the program be funded by subsidies, loans and grants from the federal government and other sources.

(4) No assessment under any subsequent referendum for a containment/maintenance program may exceed Twelve Dollars ($12.00) an acre, and it shall be incumbent upon the Boll Weevil Management Corporation to levy only that amount necessary to ensure the financial stability of the eradication program.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage.