South Carolina General Assembly
104th Session, 1981-1982

Bill 716

                    Current Status

Bill Number:               716
Ratification Number:       284
Act Number                 281
Introducing Body:          Senate
Subject:                   Relating to the eradication of boll
                           weevils
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(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

(A281, R284, S716)

AN ACT TO AMEND ACT 649 OF 1976, RELATING TO THE ERADICATION OF BOLL WEEVILS, SO AS TO DEFINE COMMERCIAL COTTON PRODUCER, PROVIDE FOR A REFERENDUM TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE BOLL WEEVIL ERADICATION PROGRAM SHALL BE FUNDED AND TO PROVIDE FOR ASSESSMENTS TO FUND THE PROGRAM IF THE REFERENDUM RESULTS FAVORABLY.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

Section 1. Section 1 of Act 649 of 1976 is amended by adding at the end:

"(10) Commercial Cotton Producer: Any person who grew cotton and received direct income from the sale of the crop during the year preceding the referendum provided for in Section 46-10-120 as certified by the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service of the United States Department of Agriculture."

Cotton producer referendum--fee

Section 2. Act 649 of 1976 is amended by adding after Section 11:

"Section 11A. The Boll Weevil Eradication Program as provided for under this act shall be implemented, for a specified time to be determined by the Commission if it shall determine that the Federal Government and the commercial cotton producers of this State, as determined by referendum to be conducted by the Commission, will cooperate and provide for the cost of carrying out the provisions of this act for the specified time. The cotton producer referendum must receive the favorable vote of two-thirds of the producers casting votes. All commercial cotton producers in South Carolina shall receive ballots and shall be eligible to vote.

Section 11B. Each commercial cotton producer in this State shall be assessed an annual uniform fee to be determined annually by the Commission of not more than sixty-five dollars per acre of cotton actually produced. The assessment shall be collected by the Commission and expended by the Commission exclusively to carry out the provisions of this act. The funds shall be deposited to the Commission's account with the State Treasurer and shall be paid out by the Treasurer from time to time at the direction of the Commission. The Commission must report annually to the Budget and Control Board to insure that these funds are being handled in the best interest of the State."

Time effective

Section 3. This act shall take effect upon the approval by the Governor.