SB 603

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

Protection issues annual licenses for dairy plants, food warehouses, food processing

plants, retail food establishments, and meat establishments (places where animals

are slaughtered for human consumption or where meat is processed). An applicant

for a license must pay an annual license fee. There is a uniform expiration date for

each kind of facility, for example, all dairy plant licenses expire on April 30. When

a license is issued for a new facility during a license year, the license is valid only until

the uniform expiration date, that is, for less than one year.

Under this bill, if a license for a new dairy plant, food warehouse, food

processing plant, retail food establishment, or meat establishment is issued within

three months of the uniform expiration date for the kind of facility, the license is valid

until the uniform expiration date in the next calendar year, that is, for up to 15

months.