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Growers warn Department of Health fee hikes would cripple small shellfish businesses
Summary
House Bill 2737 would cap and limit retroactive increases to Department of Health shellfish program fees. DOH told the committee it set a full-cost-recovery schedule and charged 50% on Feb. 1 with further increases planned; shellfish growers testified the proposed fees could force small processors and farms to close.
The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee heard House Bill 2737 on Feb. 18, a proposal that would exempt the Department of Health’s shellfish regulatory program from the agency’s full-cost-recovery requirement and establish maximum fees for certain licenses, biotoxin testing and export certificates. The bill would apply those maximums retroactively to fees and surcharges established on or before Feb. 1, 2026, and contains an emergency clause.
Rep. Birnbaum (prime sponsor) said the bill is intended to find middle ground between options in a 2025 “green report” and the department’s full-cost-recovery rulemaking. The report modeled…
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