In weighing and testing, further providing for certified testers and for certified weighers and samplers.
Summary
HB1006 amends Pennsylvania’s Milk Marketing Law to update licensing and certification rules for people who test, weigh, and sample milk. The bill keeps in place the requirement that milk dealers use certified testers and certified weighers/samplers when milk is bought, received, or sold on the basis of butterfat or other milk components, but it modernizes the administrative process for obtaining and renewing those credentials.
Under the bill, applicants for tester and weigher/sampler credentials would no longer pay a fixed $5 fee; instead, the fees would be set under the Milk Marketing Fee Act. The bill also removes the requirement for annual reapplication and annual examination for already certified individuals, and extends the certificate term from one calendar year to no more than two years. Existing holders of Pennsylvania-issued proficiency certificates would be able to convert those credentials into board-issued certificates upon application, subject to information about character and equipment/methods used.
Impact
The bill would amend Sections 602 and 603 of the Milk Marketing Law, affecting milk dealers, certified testers, certified weighers and samplers, and the Pennsylvania Milk Marketing Board. It changes the fee structure by tying application fees to the Milk Marketing Fee Act, lengthens certificate validity to up to two years, and reduces the frequency of renewal paperwork and examinations for certified personnel. It also preserves the board’s authority to certify individuals and regulate testing and sampling practices, while maintaining the requirement that only certified persons handle component-based milk transactions and farm pickups.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes, the measure appears administrative and technical rather than controversial. Its changes are framed as streamlining certification and updating fee references, which suggests a generally practical or neutral policy purpose. No recorded floor or committee vote history is available in the provided materials to indicate broader support or opposition.
Contention
The main policy change is procedural: the bill reduces renewal burden and replaces fixed statutory fees with fees set elsewhere in law. Potential points of concern for stakeholders would likely center on whether longer certificate terms and fewer required renewals could affect oversight, or whether shifting fees to the Milk Marketing Fee Act could change costs for applicants. However, no specific objections, amendments, or opposing arguments are included in the provided record.
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