SACRAMENTO – Director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) Kish Rajan on Tuesday announced that Gov. Brown has signed legislation to streamline the state’s export certificate program and decrease delays for California businesses looking to export goods.

“California is a world leader in exporting, generating $162 billion in annual exports through our vast network of ports and airports,” said Rajan. “The governor’s action ensures that California businesses will no longer face delays when accessing foreign markets which can increase the state’s overall trade activity.”

AB 1400, authored by the Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economic Development and the Economy, allows California businesses requesting an export document from the Department of Public Health to make the request electronically.

The bill would also increase the term of an export document from six months to one year.

Prior to the governor’s action, the export document was only valid for six months and there was a significant delay in processing times.

The number of applications for export documents increased from 1,731 in 2001 to 9,565 in 2012. Because of the increase in applications, the time to issue an export document increased to between five and eight weeks.

“AB 1400 will improve the business climate in California by reducing delays in processing necessary documents for California exporters, said Susanne Stirling, CalChamber Vice President of International Affairs. “Reducing or even eliminating a backlog in the issuance of these documents will send a strong message to California businesses as well as our global export partners that California is open for business and supports a growing economy.”

An export certificate issued by the State of California states that a particular item meets the regulations to be sold on the market in California. These are particularly important for producers of foods, drugs and medical devices.

California is the number one state exporter for over 20 different industries, including agriculture. The State’s dairy industry alone has increased by 29 percent every year since 2002.

Export certificates issued by the State of California are required for all of these exports. This legislation will streamline the process and allow California exporters to ship their goods to foreign countries in a timely matter, avoiding unnecessary delays and extra shipping costs.

According to the Business Roundtable, international trade in California supports 4.4 million jobs and creates hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of commerce every year. Many countries require export certificates issued by the State of California for all of these exports.

GO-Biz serves as California’s office for economic development and offers a range of services to business owners. Those services include attraction, retention and expansion services, site selection, permit streamlining, clearing of regulatory hurdles, small business assistance, international trade development, assistance with state government, important informational briefings and much more.

For more information visit: www.business.ca.gov .