(a) There is hereby continued in existence in the State Treasury a special fund to be known as the Structural Pest Control Education and Enforcement Fund. Funds derived from the pesticide use report filing fee provided for in Section 8674 and all proceeds from civil penalties collected by the board pursuant to Section 8617 shall be deposited in the Education and Enforcement Account which is hereby created in the fund. The account shall be used by the board (1) for the purposes of training as provided in Section 8616, (2) for reimbursement to the Director of Pesticide Regulation for work performed as the agent of the board pursuant to Sections 8616, 8616.4, and 8617 and Section 15202 of the Food and Agricultural Code and for cases referred to the board pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 8616.5, and (3) for reasonable expenses incurred by the Disciplinary Review Committee. There is no reimbursement from this fund for inspections and routine investigations.

(b) The board may withhold funds from its agent if it is not satisfied that its agent has corrected the problems which resulted in a suspension as provided in Section 8616.6. The authority to withhold funds shall be limited only to the withholding of an amount otherwise due the agent for reimbursable activities performed in the county or counties for which a notice has been filed pursuant to Section 8616.6.

(c) Registered structural pest control companies shall prepare and submit to the county agricultural commissioner a monthly report of all pesticides used in that county. The report shall be on a form approved by the Director of Pesticide Regulation and shall contain the name and registration number of each pesticide and the amount used. The report shall be submitted to the commissioner by the 10th day of the month following the month of application and a copy shall be maintained by the licensee for a period of three years after the report submission date. Each pesticide use report or combination of use reports representing a registered structural pest control company’s total county pesticide use for the month shall require a pesticide use stamp or stamp number issued by the board in the denomination fixed by the board in accordance with Section 8674 as the pesticide use report filing fee. The board shall provide for the sale of these stamps and stamp numbers and for the refund of moneys paid for stamps and stamp numbers which are returned to it unused. When a registered structural pest control company performs no pest control during a month in a county in which it has given notice pursuant to Section 15204 of the Food and Agricultural Code, the registered company shall submit a use report stating this fact to the commissioner. A pesticide use stamp or stamp number is not required on negative use reports.

(d) All other proceeds from civil penalties collected by the board shall be deposited in the Civil Penalties Account which is hereby created in the fund. These funds shall be available to the board upon appropriation by the Legislature for the purposes of enforcing this chapter.

(Amended by Stats. 2014, Ch. 560, Sec. 10. (SB 1244) Effective January 1, 2015.)