SB 1092 Summary

• Establishes the Cotton Research and Protection Council as an independent entity exempt from certain state procurement and employment regulations, with nine cotton producers appointed by the governor representing different Arizona regions.

• Creates a new civil penalty structure for cotton nuisance abatement and plow-up enforcement, including a 150% penalty on unpaid abatement costs and $100 per acre penalties for non-compliance with plow-up deadlines.

• Authorizes the council to request the Department of Agriculture to plow up non-compliant cotton fields and collect costs plus penalties, with civil penalties deposited in the Dangerous Plants, Pests and Diseases Trust Fund.

• Modifies cotton fee collection and rebate procedures, allowing the council to grant weather-related extensions for plow-up dates and establishing a rebate program to incentivize timely field plow-up rather than abatement.

• Permits the council to loan monies to the Department of Agriculture for abatement and plow-up costs with repayment obligations, and allows the council to establish an executive committee with three-year term limits for officers.