AB 602

Under current law, the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer

Protection (DATCP) administers the Farmland Preservation Program, which

contains some of the requirements that a farmer must meet to qualify for the

farmland preservation tax credit. Under current law, one requirement for qualifying

for the tax credit is that the farmland must either be in a farmland preservation

zoning district or be covered by a farmland preservation agreement executed by

DATCP. Current law prohibits DATCP from entering into new farmland

preservation agreements unless the farmland is in an agricultural enterprise area

targeted for agricultural preservation and development. Under current law, DATCP

designates agricultural enterprise areas by rule. The law allows DATCP to use

emergency rule-making procedures to designate agricultural enterprise areas.

Under this bill, DATCP designates agricultural enterprise areas by order,

rather than by rule.