106925

HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE
SECTION 106925




106925.  (a) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (b) or (i),
every government agency employee who handles, applies, or supervises
the use of any pesticide for public health purposes, shall be
certified by the department as a vector control technician in at
least one of the following categories commensurate with assigned
duties, as follows:
   (1) Mosquito control.
   (2) Terrestrial invertebrate vector control.
   (3) Vertebrate vector control.
   (b) The department may establish by regulation exemptions from the
requirements of this section that are deemed reasonably necessary to
further the purposes of this section.
   (c) The department shall establish by regulation minimum standards
for continuing education for any government agency employee
certified under Section 116110 and regulations adopted pursuant
thereto, who handles, applies, or supervises the use of any pesticide
for public health purposes.
   (d) An official record of the completed continuing education units
shall be maintained by the department. If a certified technician
fails to meet the requirements set forth under subdivision (c), the
department shall suspend the technician's certificate or certificates
and immediately notify the technician and the employing agency. The
department shall establish by regulation procedures for reinstating a
suspended certificate.
   (e) The department shall charge and collect a nonreturnable
renewal fee of one hundred twenty dollars ($120) to be paid by each
continuing education certificant on or before the first day of July,
or on any other date that is determined by the department. Each
person employed on September 20, 1988, in a position that requires
certification, shall first pay the annual fee the first day of the
first July following that date. All new certificants shall first pay
the annual fee the first day of the first July following their
certification.
   (f) The department shall charge and collect nonrefundable
examination fees for providing examinations pursuant to this section.
When certification is required as a condition of employment, the
employing agency shall pay the fees for certified technician
applicants. The fees shall not exceed the estimated reasonable cost
of providing the examinations, as determined by the director.
   (g) The department shall collect and account for all money
received pursuant to this section and shall deposit it in the
Vectorborne Disease Account provided for in Section 116112.
Notwithstanding Section 116112, fees deposited in the Vectorborne
Disease Account pursuant to this section shall be available for
expenditure, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to implement this
section.
   (h) Fees collected pursuant to this section shall be subject to
the annual fee increase provisions of Section 100425.
   (i) Employees of the Department of Food and Agriculture and county
agriculture departments holding, or working under the supervision of
an employee holding, a valid Qualified Applicator Certificate in
Health Related Pest Control, issued by the licensing and
certification program of the Department of Pesticide Regulation,
shall be exempt from this section.