(a) Any certification agency that certifies product in this state sold as organic shall register with the secretary and shall thereafter annually renew the registration, unless the organization is no longer engaged in the activities requiring the registration. Registration shall be on a form provided by the secretary, shall include a copy of accreditation by the USDA or proof of application if applicable.

(b) Each certification agency shall pay to the secretary an annual registration fee of twenty-five dollars ($25) for each client they have certified in this state up to a maximum of five hundred dollars ($500). Any registration submitted by a certification agency shall be made available to the public for inspection and copying. The secretary may audit the agency’s certification procedures and records at any time, but any records of the certification agency not otherwise required to be disclosed shall be kept confidential by the secretary.

(c) An accredited certifying agency may submit an annual registration fee and application on behalf of their client provided that all of the information required under Section 46013.1 is included when remitting applicable fees to the secretary.

(d) The secretary and the county agricultural commissioners under the supervision of the secretary shall, if requested by a sufficient number of persons to cover the costs of the program in a county as determined by the secretary, establish a certification program. This program shall meet all of the requirements of this act. In addition, this program shall meet all of the requirements of the federal certification program, including federal accreditation. The secretary shall establish a fee schedule for participants in this program that covers all of the secretary’s reasonable costs of the program. A county agricultural commissioner that conducts a voluntary certification program pursuant to this section shall establish a fee schedule for participants in this program that covers all of the county’s reasonable costs of the program. The secretary shall not expend funds obtained from registration fees collected under this chapter for the purposes of adopting or administering this program. The certification fee authorized by this subdivision is due and payable on January 1 or may be prorated before the 10th day of the month following the month in which the decision to grant the certification is issued. Any person who does not pay the amount that is due within the required period shall pay the enforcement authority providing the certificate a penalty of 10 percent of the total amount determined to be due, plus interest at the rate of 1.5 percent interest per month on the unpaid balance.

(e) Notwithstanding any other law, any certification agency that certifies product in this state sold as organic shall immediately make the following records available for inspection by, and shall upon request within three business days of the request, or within a reasonable time exceeding three business days as determined by the secretary, provide a copy to, the secretary or county agricultural commissioner:

(1) Records obtained from applicants for certification and certified operations.

(2) Records created by the certifying agent regarding applicants for certification and certified operations.

(3) Any record required to be kept under the National Organic Program (Section 6517 of the federal Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. Sec. 6501 et seq.) and 7 C.F.R. 205 et seq.), Article 7 (commencing with Section 110810) of Chapter 5 of Part 5 of Division 104 of the Health and Safety Code, and this act applicable to any person selling products as organic.

(f) Records acquired pursuant to this section shall not be public records as that term is defined in Section 6252 of the Government Code and shall not be subject to Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 6250) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code.

(Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 403, Sec. 13. (AB 1826) Effective January 1, 2017.)