(a) Within 12 months of the approval of the stewardship plan, the department pursuant to Section 42422.5, a program operator shall fully implement its stewardship program.

(b) A program operator may petition the department to investigate a noncompliant producer, and the department shall respond to the petition in a timely manner.

(Added by Stats. 2022, Ch. 351, Sec. 1. (AB 2440) Effective January 1, 2023.)