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House approves bill to license pesticide businesses, require applicator oversight
Summary
House Bill 132 would allow the Department of Agriculture to license pesticide businesses and require companies to disclose that their applicators are individually licensed; the measure passed the House and will be referred to the Senate.
The House approved House Bill 132 on Feb. 13 to allow the Utah Department of Agriculture to license pesticide businesses and require businesses to ensure applicators are properly licensed for the types of applications they perform.
Representative Jack Draxler, sponsor, said the bill addresses a gap where individual applicators are licensed but companies that advertise commercial application services have not been uniformly registered. The bill creates small, medium and large business fee categories ($25, $50 and $100 respectively) to support licensing administration.
Supporters said the measure protects public health by reducing drift and contamination from improperly applied chemicals and by giving the Department of Agriculture authority to ensure businesses employ appropriately certified applicators. Representative Ferry described safeguards and an exemption for a single individual who helps a neighbor as a commonsense refinement.
House Bill 132 passed the House and will be referred to the Senate for further consideration.
