(a) (1) Within six months of the adoption date of regulations by the department pursuant to Section 42031.2, a program operator shall submit to the department for approval a complete stewardship plan that meets the requirements of Section 42032.2 for the establishment and implementation of a stewardship program, in a format determined by the department.

(2) The department shall approve a proposed stewardship program if the program operator submits a completed plan that meets the requirements of this section.

(b) (1) Before submitting a stewardship plan to the department pursuant to this section, a program operator shall submit its proposed stewardship plan to the state board for review, and to any other applicable state agencies with areas of authority relative to the stewardship plan. The duration of time that the state board takes to review a stewardship plan pursuant to this paragraph shall not count toward the time limit specified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a).

(2) An agency that receives a plan shall review the plan for compliance with state and federal laws and regulations related to the agency’s respective authority. The agency shall determine compliance or noncompliance with those laws and regulations, and provide to the program operator that determination and an explanation for any finding of noncompliance, within 90 days of receipt of the plan.

(3) A program operator may submit an updated proposed plan to an agency that issued a determination of noncompliance to attempt to obtain a determination of compliance. A program operator shall submit any determination received from an agency when it submits its stewardship plan to the department.

(4) If, 90 days after submitting a plan to an applicable agency, a program operator has not received a response from the applicable agency, the program operator may submit a certification to the department that the stewardship plan is consistent with all other applicable laws and regulations.

(c) (1) The department shall determine if a stewardship plan is complete, including the determinations required pursuant to subdivision (b), and notify the submitting program operator within 30 days of receipt.

(2) If the department finds that the stewardship plan is complete, the department’s 90-day review period for consideration of approval of the plan set forth in subdivision (d) shall commence upon the original date of receipt.

(3) If the department determines the stewardship plan is incomplete, the department shall identify for the program operator the required additional information, and the program operator shall resubmit the plan within 30 days.

(4) If the department determines upon resubmission that the stewardship plan is complete, the department’s 90-day review period for consideration of approval of the plan shall commence upon the date of receipt of the resubmitted plan.

(d) (1) The department shall review a complete submitted stewardship plan and shall approve, disapprove, or conditionally approve the plan within 90 days of receipt of the complete plan.

(2) The department may consult with, or submit a stewardship plan for review to, the state board or another state agency it determines is necessary to determine the completeness of the stewardship plan or for making a determination on the approval of the stewardship plan or an amendment to the stewardship plan. The duration of time that the department takes to review a stewardship plan pursuant to this paragraph shall not count toward the 90-day time limit specified in paragraph (1).

(e) A program operator shall submit any significant changes to a stewardship plan in writing for approval by the department, and shall not implement the changes prior to that approval.

(f) (1) If the department disapproves a submitted stewardship plan pursuant to subdivision (d), the department shall explain, in writing within 30 days, how the plan does not comply with this chapter, and the program operator shall resubmit a revised plan to the department.

(2) If the department finds that the revised stewardship plan submitted by the program operator does not comply with the requirements of this chapter and disapproves the plan, the covered entity operating its own stewardship program, or the stewardship organization and the covered entities that are members of the stewardship organization, are not in compliance with this chapter until the program operator submits a plan that the department approves.

(g) A program operator shall fully implement operation of an approved stewardship program no later than 270 days after approval by the department of the stewardship plan that establishes the stewardship program.

(h) If a stewardship plan is revoked pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 42035.4 or terminated by the program operator that submitted the plan, a covered entity no longer subject to that plan may, without being subject to penalties pursuant to Article 6 (commencing with Section 42035), sell or offer for sale covered products in the state for a period of up to one year after the plan terminated or was revoked if the covered entity continues to operate under the most recent approved stewardship plan to which the covered entity was subject.

(i) The department shall make all stewardship plans submitted pursuant to this section available to the public, except proprietary information in the plans protected pursuant to Section 42036.4.

(Added by Stats. 2018, Ch. 1004, Sec. 1. (SB 212) Effective January 1, 2019.)