(a) (1) Before cultivating hemp for agricultural or academic research, an established agricultural research institution shall register with the commissioner of the county in which it intends to cultivate.

(2) The registration application shall include all of the following:

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(A) The name, physical address, and mailing address of the applicant.

(B) The legal description, Global Positioning System coordinates, and map of the geographic area where the applicant plans to engage in hemp cultivation or storage, or both.

(C) A research plan that shall include all of the following:

(i) The hemp varieties that will be used and, if applicable, how those varieties will be used for purposes of agricultural or academic research.

(ii) A plan for testing a representative sample of the plants cultivated.

(iii) The measures that will be taken to destroy or dispose of any plants with THC concentrations that test above 0.3 percent.

(iv) A procedure for the maintenance of records documenting the agricultural or academic research.

(3) A registration issued pursuant to this section shall be valid for one year, after which the registrant shall renew its registration if it will continue cultivating hemp beyond that term.

(b) If the commissioner determines that the requirements for registration pursuant to this division are met and that the applicant is eligible to participate in the hemp program, in accordance with Sections 81012 to 81014, inclusive, the commissioner shall issue an established agricultural research institution registration to the applicant.

(c) A registrant that wishes to change or alter the land area on which the registrant conducts hemp cultivation or storage, or both, shall, before any alteration or change, submit to the commissioner an updated registration with the legal description, Global Positioning System coordinates, and map specifying the proposed land change or alteration. Once the commissioner has received the change to the registration and the commissioner determines that the requirements pursuant to this division are met, the commissioner shall notify the registrant that it may cultivate hemp on the changed or altered land area.

(d) A registrant conducting agricultural or academic research who wishes to change any provision of the research plan shall submit to the commissioner a revised research plan. Once the commissioner has received the revised research plan, and the commissioner determines that the requirements of this division are met, the commissioner shall notify the registrant that it may cultivate under the revised research plan.

(e) All records pertaining to the research plan shall be kept and maintained by the established agricultural research institution and be available upon request by the commissioner or a law enforcement agency.

(f) (1) The commissioner shall transmit information collected under this section to the department no more than 10 business days after the date on which it is collected or the date of a change in registration status occurred.

(2) The department shall submit the information described in paragraph (a) of Section 990.70 of Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations to the United States Department of Agriculture no more than 30 business days after the date on which it is collected or the date of a change in registration status occurred.

(g) The department and the commissioner shall retain information collected under this section for at least three years after collecting or receiving it.

(h) This section shall become operative as of the date on which a state plan for California is approved pursuant to Section 297B of the federal Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (added by Section 10113 of the federal Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-334)).

(Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 485, Sec. 7. (SB 292) Effective January 1, 2022. Operative on the date prescribed by its own provisions.)