(a)
The department may designate the following types of entities to perform the required disease and pathogen diagnostic testing and analysis under the program:
(1)
Entities that have responsibilities associated with the citrus industry and that derive their authority from this code.
(2)
Entities that are associated with a California public university.
(3)
Private entities with expertise in plant disease diagnostics that meet standards adopted by the secretary to ensure integrity of the sampling methods and results.
(b)
An entity authorized pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be proficient in the protocols for which it is approved by the department.
(c)
An entity authorized pursuant to this section shall be subject to reapproval by the department pursuant to regulations adopted as authorized by this article.
(d)
The department shall have no liability for any errors or omissions of an entity authorized pursuant to this section.