(1) The assessment on all milk processed in this state shall be fifty-three and one-half hundredths of one cent per hundredweight.

(2) All assessments shall be levied on the operator of the first milk plant receiving the milk for processing. This includes milk plants producing their own milk for processing and milk plants that receive milk from other sources.

(3) All assessments shall be in addition to those collected under chapter 15.44 RCW and/or Title 142 WAC.

Milk plant operators shall submit a report to the director on or before the twentieth day of each month with the preceding month's assessment. The report shall list the milk plant name and address, pounds of milk received at that plant including milk purchased or received from other sources, and the total amount of assessment on forms provided by the director. Provided, that entities having more than one milk plant may submit one assessment check for all milk plants and include separate reports for each milk plant.

Any due and payable assessment not paid by the milk plant operator by the twentieth of the succeeding month shall be considered a lien on any property owned by him or her. All delinquent assessments shall be filed as liens quarterly by the director with the county auditor of any county in which property owned by the milk plant operator is located. All delinquent assessments shall be collected in the manner and with the same priority over other creditors as prescribed for the collection of delinquent taxes under chapters 84.60 and 84.64 RCW.

These rules are promulgated under the authority of RCW 15.32.110 as recodified by chapter 143, Laws of 1994. The purpose of these rules is to establish a renewal date for the annual milk processing plant license.

The licensing period for milk processing plants shall begin on July 1 and run through the following June 30. All annual milk processing plant licenses shall expire on June 30 of each year.