Senate passes bills to raise fertilizer fees, reset pollinator task force

The Washington Senate passed several bills Wednesday, including two measures affecting agriculture and supported by Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake.

Senate Bill 5318 passed in a 31-18 vote. The bill would increase the annual license fee for distributing bulk fertilizers from $25 to $50, according to the bill’s text. The delinquency fee, which is $25, would also rise to $50.

The application fee would rise from $50 to $150, and the late fee would increase from $10 to $50, according to the bill’s text. Inspection fees would increase from $0.15 to $0.20 per ton of lime and from $0.30 to $0.35 per ton of other fertilizers.

Warnick, representing the 13th Legislative District, is SB 5318’s primary sponsor. Warnick said during the virtual floor debate Wednesday the state Department of Agriculture reached out and asked if she could sponsor the bill.

“The revenue has not been keeping up with the inflation and the cost increases,” Warnick said. “Agriculture prices are not as high as we would like them … and the expenses are going up.”

SB 5318 would help increase the viability and maintenance of the state’s fertilizer program, which is fee-driven, Warnick said. Many of the fees have not been raised for more than 20 years.

“Fertilizers are very, very critical to our agriculture commodities,” Warnick said.

Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, voted in opposition of SB 5318. Schoesler said during the virtual floor debate manufacturers will not be the ones who would pay for the increased fees.

“They’ll be paid when you pick up your bag of lawn and garden fertilizer,” Schoesler said. “They’ll be paid by the producers.”

During the floor debate, senators unanimously passed SB 5253. The bill would re-establish the Pollinator Health Task Force to implement recommendations regarding pollinator sustainability, which were submitted to the Legislature, according to the bill’s text.

Sen. Marko Liias, D-Lynwood, is SB 5253’s primary sponsor. Warnick is co-sponsoring the bill.

Liias said during the virtual floor debate the task force was established two years ago — SB 5253 would reauthorize the group to continue its work and implement the recommendations reported to the Legislature.

Warnick said SB 5253 would not only benefit those who enjoy consuming crops, but the beekeepers themselves.

“All of us that consume food in Washington state depend on healthy pollinators,” Liias said. “Over the last 10 years and even longer we’ve seen troubling declines in the size of our bee colonies. We’ve got to do what we can … to keep our pollinators healthy.”

During the morning session, the Senate also approved SB 5152 (in a 49-0 vote), SB 5191 (29-20) and SB 5210 (49-0). The bills will move to the Senate.