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ODA seeks higher pesticide registration fee cap to sustain staff and safety programs
Summary
ODA told lawmakers HB 2809 would raise the statutory cap on pesticide product registration fees (from $400 to $550) to fund enforcement, education and response programs that have come to rely on registration revenues.
Jonathan Sandow, deputy director at the Oregon Department of Agriculture, presented House Bill 2809 to the House Committee on Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water on Jan. 27 as a proposal to increase the statutory cap for pesticide product registration fees.
Sandow said ODA currently charges $360 per product and anticipates needing to reach the $400 cap during the next biennium. HB 2809 would raise the statutory cap from $400 to $550 to provide room for future fee adjustments by rule. He said about $140 of the current registration fee supports programs such as the Pesticide Analytical Response Center and the Pesticide Safety and Education Program; roughly $220 funds core ODA pesticide program operations. Sandow described enforcement and certification work added since 2015 and said the fee revenue has funded hires in enforcement and the laboratory functions.
Sandow also noted that registration fees now fully fund some programs that previously had general fund support; he said ODA aims to maintain timely case resolution and noted that in 2024 the agency met a 90‑day target for closing enforcement cases 94 percent of the time.
Christopher Fenarelli of the Household and Commercial Products Association (HCPA) testified remotely and asked the committee to ensure fees reflect the work required and requested an amendment requiring ODA to post registration timelines on its website to give registrants predictability. Sandow and the committee discussed that registration processing timelines and the mix of federal, state and fee funding for enforcement and education programs.
Why it matters: Pesticide registration fees fund product registration, applicator licensing and enforcement work, and changes to statutory caps determine how the agency can respond to evolving regulatory and training requirements. The committee closed the informational public hearing on HB 2809; no vote was taken.
