A. The State Department of Agriculture shall administer the Oklahoma Commodity Storage Indemnity Fund. The Indemnity shall be established for the benefit of producers who have delivered commodities to a chartered or licensed public warehouse for storage. The Indemnity shall compensate producers for losses to their commodity while it is in the control of a chartered or licensed public warehouse, except losses covered by insurance as provided in Section 9-26 of this title. No producer shall be eligible for compensation or reimbursement as the result of a loss on any commodity when the title to the commodity has been transferred to the warehouseman.
B. When the Indemnity reaches Six Million Dollars ($6,000,000.00), the two-mill assessment shall cease at the end of that harvest season as determined by the Board. If the balance of the Indemnity becomes less than Six Million Dollars ($6,000,000.00), the two-mill assessment shall be reinstituted on an annual basis as necessary to attain a balance of Six Million Dollars ($6,000,000.00) in the Indemnity. The Department shall have authority to invest the assessments. All proceeds of the investment shall be placed in the Indemnity. Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000.00) from the interest income for each year on the total proceeds in the Indemnity shall be paid to the Department annually for the conducting of warehouse examinations necessary for the protection of the Indemnity. The balance of the accrued interest each year may not be utilized for any purposes not listed in this subarticle and shall remain a part of the Indemnity.
C. When a loss is incurred upon the commodity of a producer delivered to a warehouseman or after receipt of the notice pursuant to Section 9-24 of this title, the producer shall present his or her claim to the State Board of Agriculture. To verify the claim, the producer shall present a receipt or any additional evidence required by the Board. All producer claim payments shall be made by the Board from the Indemnity as soon as practicable and not later than one (1) year following the date of claim. The price per bushel of a commodity shall be established on the day of the loss or seizure and shall be for the full market value on that day less storage or other applicable charges. If there is an insufficient amount of cash in the Indemnity to cover all claims for a certain year, payments shall be made on a pro rata basis up to one hundred percent (100%) of the total loss of each producer. If payment is not received in the amount of one hundred percent (100%) of total loss for a certain year, then additional amounts shall be paid as funds become available in succeeding years until repayment of one hundred percent (100%) of total loss is attained. If, at any time, a producer receives payment totaling more than one hundred percent (100%) of total loss, the excess payment shall be returned to the Indemnity within thirty (30) days. Upon final payment of a claim to a producer from the Indemnity, the producer shall subrogate his or her interest to the Department in a cause of action against any and all parties, to the amount of the loss that the producer was reimbursed by the Indemnity.
D. The producer shall, within sixty (60) days of the order of the Board establishing the date of loss, present the claim to the Board. Producers may submit a written request to the Board for a sixty-day extension of the filing period, if the producers can show they were not provided notification and reasonable time to file their claim. If the claim of loss is not presented within the time and in the manner required, the claim shall be forever barred and the producer shall forfeit all rights to remuneration or payment as provided in the Public Warehouse and Commodity Indemnity Act.
E. If state funds are appropriated to the Indemnity, the Board shall establish the rules and procedures necessary to ensure that the State General Revenue Fund shall be reimbursed from the assessments in an amount equal to the total appropriation made to the Indemnity. The reimbursement shall be made in a timely manner, provided the intents and purposes of this section to compensate producers for their losses shall not be adversely affected.
F. The monies deposited in the Indemnity shall at no time become part of the general budget of any state board, commission, or agency except the Department.
G. The Commissioner of the State Department of Agriculture shall investigate all potential civil action claims against a failed warehouse, the warehouseman, and any officers, directors and managers for recovery of any losses paid by the Indemnity.
Added by Laws 1980, c. 110, § 5, eff. July 1, 1980. Amended by Laws 1981, c. 152, § 2, emerg. eff. May 8, 1981; Laws 1986, c. 112, § 1, eff. July 1, 1986; Laws 1987, c. 125, § 15, emerg. eff. June 2, 1987; Laws 1990, c. 155, § 4, emerg. eff. May 1, 1990; Laws 1997, c. 10, § 20, eff. July 1, 1997; Laws 2001, c. 119, § 6, eff. Nov. 1, 2001.