Repeals existing law relating to the Idaho Food Quality Assurance Institute.

Consistent with the Governor's Red Tape Reduction Act, this bill seeks to eliminate inactive provisions of law. The Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) proposes repealing Title 67, Chapter 83, which established the Idaho Food Quality Assurance Institute (IFQAI). The IFQAI originally was established as an "independent public body corporate and politic" to oversee the management of the Idaho Food Quality Assurance Laboratory. The laboratory previously was housed within the University of Idaho. At the request of industry and the university, ISDA took over management of the laboratory. The IFQAI has transferred its powers and duties to the ISDA for years through memoranda of understanding (MOUs). The IFQAI has not managed the day-to-day activities of the laboratory for more than a decade. The IFQAI has been functioning as an advisory committee, and this bill would codify what has been established through MOUs. If this bill were to become law, the ISDA will organize and host an Idaho Food Quality Assurance Laboratory advisory committee. TheIdahoFoodQualityAssuranceLaboratoryoffersformal, third-partyfoodqualityandenvironmentaltesting to Idaho producers, government agencies, agricultural groups, processors, and consumers. This bill would not change the services, including voluntary industry testing, provided by the laboratory. Under the Idaho Public Records Act, all records of laboratory test results provided by or retained by the laboratory are confidential and exempt from disclosure. This bill would not affect those exemptions.