SB 374

Bill Subjects

Abstract

Renames the Beef Industry Council as the Cattle Industry Board (the Board) and renames the Virginia Beef Industry Fund as the Virginia Cattle Industry Fund (the Fund). The bill simplifies the definition of the term "cattle" and reduces the size of the Board from 15 to 11 members. Beginning in 2019 and ending in 2023, the bill increases the amount of the assessment from the sale of cattle, currently at $0.25 per head, to $0.50 per head, with the assessment to be deposited in the Fund to support Board activities. The bill allows producers who are dissatisfied with the assessment and the Board's use of it to receive a refund and prohibits the Department of Taxation from collecting assessments that were unpaid or uncollected prior to July 1, 2018. Finally, the bill staggers the terms of the initial members appointed to the Board and distinguishes the assessment-supported Fund from the National Beef Checkoff.