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House committee hears bill to eliminate organic commodity advisory committee; stakeholders seek clarifying amendments
Summary
A House committee heard House Bill 269 to dissolve Montana's Organic Commodity Advisory Committee. Sponsor Rep. Eric Tillman and the Department of Agriculture said the council has outlived its purpose; Montana Farmers Union asked for amendments to preserve industry consultation and remove problematic budgetary language.
Representative Eric Tillman opened a hearing on House Bill 269, telling the committee the measure would "cut government, cut red tape, and be here for the kids" by eliminating the eight-member Organic Commodity Advisory Committee that advises the Department of Agriculture on the state's organic certification program.
The Department of Agriculture's deputy director, Zach Coccoli, supported the bill as internal cleanup and said eliminating the advisory council would not end certification services. "We currently certified 240 organic operations through 3 and a half dedicated FTE," Coccoli told the committee and said the department will continue to "work closely with the Montana Organic Association and our affiliated organic producer community." He described the advisory council as having "outlived its purpose."
Representing the Montana Farmers Union, Eric Sommerfeld said his organization was "reluctant" to oppose the bill but requested technical amendments. Sommerfeld said stakeholders and the sponsor had worked on language that would explicitly require consultation with "Montana Organic Association, producers, handlers, processors and others in the community" on matters concerning organic certification and that would remove or revise provisions affecting budgetary authority. Sommerfeld said the amendments were agreed in principle but had not yet been formally filed.
Committee members pressed departmental staff about financial and operational impacts. Coccoli said any fiscal savings would be minimal, limited to per-diem and meeting costs "in the hundreds of dollars" by not hosting the advisory body. Representative Thain asked whether the advisory council had been active recently; Coccoli answered that it had not operated as a standalone body in the last 24 months and that many of the same individuals participate through the Montana Organic Association, which the department had been meeting with and which was supportive of the change.
The sponsor closed by urging support and signaling he would seek a favorable committee recommendation. The chair closed the hearing and said executive action was postponed because amendments are expected; the committee will reconvene consideration once amendments are formally filed.
The hearing record contains no formal vote. The committee deferred further action until the pending amendments are introduced and scheduled to revisit the bill at a later meeting.
