Weighmasters: automated weighing systems.

Existing law provides for the licensure of weighmasters who weigh, measure, or count any commodity and issue a statement or memorandum that is used as the basis for either the purchase or sale of that commodity. Existing law requires that a weighmaster issue a signed weighmaster certificate whenever payment for the commodity is dependent on a written or printed weight, measure, or count. Under existing law, the Secretary of Food and Agriculture may adopt rules and regulations that are reasonably necessary for the purpose of carrying out provisions of law related to weighmasters. Existing law requires a weighmaster to pay to the Department of Food and Agriculture various license fees, including a $75 fee if the weighmaster is operating at a fixed location and a $200 fee if the weighmaster is operating at other than a fixed location. This bill would authorize any weighmaster weighing any vehicle moving construction materials, including, but not limited to, earth, stone, rock, sand, gravel, limestone, ready mixed concrete, cementitious materials, recycled construction materials, or asphalt paving materials to use an unattended weighing system to weigh the vehicle and to issue a weighmaster certificate to buyers who opt to utilize the unattended system, as provided. The bill would define an unattended weighing system as an automated system not directly under the supervision of a weighmaster that meets the approval, testing, and sealing requirements specified in existing law. The bill would state that it would not impact existing weighing and ticketing systems. The bill would require a weighmaster for an unattended weighing system to pay, only until January 1, 2020, various license fees, including a $200 fee if the weighmaster is operating at a fixed location and a $300 fee if the weighmaster is operating at other than a fixed location, not to exceed the reasonable regulatory costs to the department of enforcing this provision. On and after January 1, 2020, the fees would be the same as the fees described above for other weighmasters, as specified. The bill would, until January 1, 2020, require a weighmaster for an unattended weighing system to keep the same number of deputy weighmaster licensees as were licensed in the average of the last 2 years proceeding the use of an unattended weighing system.