(a) Handlers of seed for the production of rice identified pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 55040, shall annually pay to the commission an assessment in an amount not to exceed five dollars ($5) per hundredweight (cwt.).

(b) The first in-state handler of paddy or brown rice identified pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 55040, or of seed for the production of rice identified pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 55040, brought into the state from outside California, shall report to the commission prior to the receipt of the rice or seed and pay an assessment to the commission in an amount not to exceed ten cents ($0.10) per hundredweight (cwt.). The report and payment shall be made in the time and manner specified by the commission.

(Amended by Stats. 2008, Ch. 414, Sec. 23. Effective January 1, 2009.)