Liability of commission members

The members and employees of the commission shall not be held responsible individually in any way whatsoever to any producer, processor, distributor, or other handler or to any other person for errors in judgment, mistakes, or other acts, either of commission or omission, as principal, agent, person, or employee, except for their own individual acts of dishonesty or crime. No such person or employee shall be held responsible individually for any act or omission of any other member of the commission. The liability of the members of the commission shall be several and not joint and no member shall be liable for the default of any other member. History. — Code 1981, § 2-8-59, enacted by Ga. L. 1989, p. 1420, § 1. 2-8-60. Authority to confer with and make information available to governmental authorities of this state, other states, and the United States. The commission is authorized to confer with and to make any information obtained pursuant to this article available to the duly constituted governmental authorities of this state, of other states, of political subdivisions of this state or other states, and of the United 387 2-8-61 States who, by reason of their duties, have legitimate concern with the subject and to cooperate with all such authorities for the purpose of obtaining administrative uniformity and achieving the objectives of this article. History. — Code 1981, § 2-8-60, enacted by Ga. L. 1989, p. 1420, § 1. 2-8-61. Issuance, administration, and enforcement of marketing orders; notice and hearing as to proposed order; information from persons who may be affected by order. (a) The commission is authorized to issue, administer, and enforce the provisions of marketing orders regulating producer marketing or the handling of peanuts within this state. (b)(1) Whenever the commission has reason to believe that the issuance of a marketing order or amendments to an existing marketing order will tend to effectuate the declared policy of this article with respect to peanuts, it shall, either upon its own motion or upon the application of any producer of peanuts or any organization of such persons, give due notice of and an opportunity for a public hearing upon a proposed marketing order or amendments to an existing marketing order. (2) Notice of any hearing called for such purpose shall be given by the commission by publishing a notice of such hearing for a period of not less than five days in a newspaper of general circulation published in the capital of the state and in such other newspapers as the commission may prescribe. No such public hearing shall be held prior to five days after the last day of such period of publication. The commission shall also mail a copy of such notice of hearing and a copy of such proposed marketing order or proposed amendments to all producers of peanuts whose names and addresses appear upon lists of such persons on file with the commission and who may be directly affected by the provisions of such proposed marketing order or such proposed amendments. Such notice of hearing shall in all respects comply with the requirements of Chapter 13 of Title 50, the ‘‘Georgia Administrative Procedure Act.’’ (3) The hearing shall be public and all testimony shall be received under oath. A full and complete record of the proceedings at such hearing shall be made and maintained on file in the office of the commission. The hearing shall, in all respects, be conducted in accordance with Chapter 13 of Title 50, the ‘‘Georgia Administrative Procedure Act.’’ The hearing may be conducted by the commission or by a member of the commission, as may be designated by the commission in each instance, but no decision shall be made based on 388 2-8-61 hearings conducted other than by the commission itself, at which a majority of the members thereof are present, until the members of the commission have been afforded an opportunity to review the hearing record. Where the commission conducts hearings, its recommendation shall be based on the findings reached after a review of the record of the hearing. (c)(1) In order to provide the commission with accurate and reliable information with respect to the persons who may be directly affected by any proposed marketing order for peanuts when such information is not then on file with the commission, the commission is authorized and directed, whenever the commission has reason to believe that the issuance of a marketing order will tend to effectuate the declared policy of this article or upon receipt of a written application for a hearing pursuant to subsection (b) of this Code section, to notify all handlers of peanuts, by publication of a notice as required in paragraph (2) of this subsection, to file with the commission within ten days from the last date of such publication a report, properly certified, showing: (A) The correct name and address of such handler; (B) The quantities of peanuts affected by the proposed marketing order handled by such handler in the marketing season next preceding the filing of such report; (C) The correct names and addresses of all producers of peanuts who may be directly affected by such proposed marketing order, from whom such handler received peanuts in the marketing season next preceding the filing of such report; and (D) The quantities of peanuts received by such handler from each such producer in the marketing season next preceding the filing of such report. (2) The notice to handlers requiring them to file a report shall be published by the commission for a period of not less than five days in a newspaper of general circulation published in the capital of the state and in such other newspaper or newspapers as the commission may prescribe. The commission shall also mail a copy of such notice to all handlers of peanuts whose names and addresses appear upon the lists on file with the commission who may be directly affected by such proposed marketing order. (3) Each handler of peanuts directly affected by a proposed marketing order shall file his verified report with the commission within the time specified in paragraph (1) of this subsection. Failure or refusal of any handler to file such report shall not invalidate any proceeding taken or marketing order issued. The commission is 389 2-8-62 authorized and directed to proceed upon the basis of such information and reports as may otherwise be available. (4) From the reports so filed and the information so received or available to the commission, including any proper corrections, the commission shall prepare a list of the names and addresses of such producers and the volume of peanuts produced or marketed by all such producers and a list of the names and addresses of such handlers and the volume of peanuts handled by all such handlers, directly affected by such proposed marketing order or amendments thereto, in the preceding marketing season. Such lists shall constitute complete and conclusive lists for use in any finding made by the commission pursuant to subsection (a) of Code Section 2-8-63 and such findings shall be conclusive. (5) The information contained in the individual reports of handlers filed with the commission pursuant to this Code section shall not be made public in such form. The information contained in such reports may be prepared in combined form for use by the commission, its agents, or other interested persons in the formulation, administration, and enforcement of a marketing order or may be made available pursuant to court order. Such information shall not be made available to anyone for private purposes. History. — Code 1981, § 2-8-61, enacted by Ga. L. 1989, p. 1420, § 1. 2-8-62. Recommendation of promulgation of marketing order; permissible provisions of orders; effectiveness of orders heretofore adopted and in effect on July 1, 1989. (a) If, upon the basis of the record of testimony and documentary evidence received at the hearing provided for in Code Section 2-8-61 and the facts officially noticed therein from official publications or institutions of recognized standing, the commission determines that the issuance of a marketing order or an amendment will tend to effectuate the intent and purpose of this article, it may recommend the promulgation of a marketing order or amendment with respect to the matters specified in the hearing notice and supported by the record, containing any or all of the following provisions, but no others: (1) Provisions regulating the period or periods during which peanuts or any grade, size, or quality of peanuts may be processed, distributed, or otherwise marketed within this state by any and all persons engaged in such processing, distributing, or marketing within this state; such periods shall be established by the commission so as to conform to the better principles of sound agricultural practices with respect to production of the peanuts in order to secure, 390 2-8-62 so far as is commercially practical, a sufficient supply of good quality of each grade of peanuts proportionate to normal market demand and to prevent disruptive marketing practices likely to result in oversupply or scarcity, which create unnecessarily inflated prices to consumers and handlers, depressed prices to producers, or salability of products of inferior grade and quality due to unavailability of good quality products; (2) Provisions establishing or providing for establishing, with respect to peanuts, either as delivered by producers to handlers or processors or as handled, processed, or otherwise prepared for market or as marketed by producers, handlers, or processors: (A) Grading standards of quality, condition, size, maturity, or pack, which standards may include minimum standards, provided that the standards so established shall not be established below any minimum standards prescribed by law for peanuts; and (B) Uniform inspection and grading of peanuts in accordance with the standards so established. (3) Provisions for the establishment of plans for advertising and sales promotion to maintain present markets or to create new or larger markets for peanuts grown in this state or for the prevention, modification, or removal of trade barriers which obstruct the normal flow of peanuts to market. The commission is authorized to prepare, issue, administer, and enforce plans for promoting the sale of peanuts, provided that any such plan shall be directed toward promoting and increasing the sale, use, and utilization of peanuts without reference to a particular brand or trade name; and provided, further, that no advertising or sales promotion program shall be issued by the commission which makes use of false or unwarranted claims in behalf of any such product or disparages the quality, value, sale, or use of any other agricultural commodity; (4) Provisions prohibiting unfair trade practices by which any producer or handler tends toward establishment of monopoly, unfairly discriminates among customers as to price or quality, or engages in fraudulent, deceptive, or misleading representations, concealment, or other similar sharp business practices which are harmful to his or its customers, injurious to competitors, likely to bring into disrepute persons generally engaged in production and handling of peanuts, or detrimental to the intent and purpose of this article; (5) Provisions for carrying on research studies in promoting the production, marketing, sale, use and utilization, processing, and improvement of peanuts or any combination thereof and for the expenditure of moneys for such purposes. In any research carried on 391 2-8-62 under this paragraph, the dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences of the University of Georgia and the commission shall cooperate in selecting the research project or projects to be carried on from time to time. Insofar as practicable such projects shall be carried out by the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences but, if the dean of the college and the commission determine that the college has no facilities for a particular project or that some other research agency has better facilities therefor, the project may be carried out by other research agencies selected by the commission; (6) Provisions establishing or providing authority for establishing, either as peanuts are produced or are delivered by producers to handlers or as peanuts are handled or otherwise prepared for market or as peanuts are marketed by producers or handlers, an educational program designed to acquaint producers, handlers, or other interested persons with quality improvement, including sanitation practices, procedures, or methods as applied to peanuts; (7) Provisions for the promotion of the marketing of surplus peanuts through the establishment of surplus, stabilization, or by-product pools for peanuts or any grade, size, quality, or condition thereof, providing for the sale of the peanuts in any such pool and for the equitable distribution among the persons participating therein of the net returns derived from the sale of such peanuts. Whenever the marketing order authorizes the establishment of any such pool or pools, the commission shall have the power to receive such peanuts from each producer or handler, to handle the same according to the grade, size, quality, or condition thereof, and to account to each producer or handler participating therein upon a pro rata basis for the net proceeds derived from the sale thereof. Whenever the marketing order authorizes the establishment of a surplus, stabilization, or by-product pool, the commission shall have authority to promote the marketing of surplus peanuts by making arrangements for and operating any necessary facilities for the storing, financing, grading, hauling, packing, servicing, processing, preparing for market, selling, and disposing of the contents of any pools provided for in this paragraph. Whenever the marketing order authorizes the establishment of any type of pool authorized in this paragraph, the commission shall have authority to create, by a uniform assessment upon producers, or to maintain and disburse, upon some other uniform and equitable basis, an equalization fund to be used for the removal of any inequalities between producers or handlers participating in any pool; and (8) Provisions for the establishment and management of a stabilization fund to compensate producers of peanuts for peanuts which must be diverted or which fail to qualify for marketing or sale in 392 2-8-63 regular marketing channels due to grade, quality, or size regulations. The commission shall be authorized to provide, by regulations, for the administration of such stabilization fund, including regulations as to the type, quality or grade of peanuts, the amount of stabilization support, reporting, and qualifying procedures. Whenever the marketing order authorizes the establishment of any type of stabilization fund authorized in this paragraph, the commission shall have the authority to create such fund by a uniform assessment upon producers of peanuts and to maintain and disburse such stabilization fund in accordance with the purposes set out in this paragraph. (b) All provisions authorized by this Code section which are contained in marketing orders and amendments thereto heretofore adopted by the Agricultural Commodity Commission for Peanuts and in effect on July 1, 1989, shall be and remain of full force and effect until repealed or modified by the commission as provided in this article. History. — Code 1981, § 2-8-62, enacted by Ga. L. 1989, p. 1420, § 1; Ga. L. 1995, p. 10, § 2.