The House and Senate passed similar bills Monday that would allow the State Plant Board to levy greater civil penalties in egregious cases of herbicide misapplication.

 

The House voted 68-12 to pass House Bill 1692 by Rep. David Hillman, R-Almyra. The Senate voted 32-1 to approve Senate Bill 501 by Sen. Blake Johnson, R-Corning. Both bills would allow the plant board to assess a civil penalty greater than $1,000 but not more than $25,000, but only if the board finds the violation is egregious.

 

A violation would be egregious only if "significant off-target crop damage occurred as a result of the application of dicamba or auxin-containing herbicide."

 

Hillman told representatives that the existing $1,000 maximum penalty wasn't enough to make a difference.

 

"This summer when we were having all these dicamba problems, we had a farmer who used it illegally and without responsibility," Hillman said. The man had four farms, so the penalty was $4,000.

 

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