Agriculture Related
HB 604 by D. Howard/Wentworth - Relating to the appraisal for ad valorem tax purposes of certain land used for wildlife management under a conservation easement. HB 604 amends Section 23.51 of the Tax Code to allow certain land to qualify for appraisal as wildlife management land without the current requirement of being appraised as qualified open-space land at the time the land is converted to wildlife management use.
HB 967 by Guillen/Zaffirini - Relating to the reappraisal for ad valorem tax purposes of agricultural or open-space land on which the Texas Animal Health Commission has established a temporary quarantine for ticks. House Bill 967 amends the Tax Code to entitle the owner of agricultural or open-space land on which the Texas Animal Health Commission has established a temporary quarantine for ticks to a reappraisal of the land for the tax year in which the quarantine occurs.
HB 1090 by Swinford/M. Jackson - Relating to the establishment of a program by the Department of Agriculture to make grants to encourage the construction of facilities that generate electrical energy with certain types of agricultural residues, waste, debris, or crops. The bill requires that the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) with the assistance of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and the Public Utility Commission (PUC), establish an Agricultural Biomass and Landfill Diversion Incentive Program to provide grants to farmers, loggers, and diverters who provide agricultural biomass to facilities that: are located in the state; placed in service after August 31,2009; generate electric energy sold to a third party using agricultural biomass; and use the best available emissions control technology.
HB 1188 by Morrison/Shapiro - Relating to the Texas emerging technology fund. HB 1188 permits appropriated amounts from the Emerging Technology Fund be used for staff and administration of Emerging Technology Fund activities. The bill changes from 25 percent to 16.67 percent the amount from the Texas Emerging Technology Fund to be used to match funding from research sponsors. The bill changes from 25 percent to 33.33 percent the amount from the Texas Emerging Technology Fund to be used to acquire new or enhance existing research superiority at public institutions of higher education. The bill provides that no more than 2.0 percent of the amount allocated for incentives for commercialization activities may be invested directly in a regional center of innovation and commercialization.
HB 1472 by Aycock/Otto/Wentworth - Relating to the annexation of land for which property taxes are imposed based on the land's value for agricultural or wildlife management purposes. House Bill 1472 amends the Local Government Code to prohibit a municipality from annexing land appraised for tax purposes as land for agriculture, wildlife management, or timber production use unless the municipality offers to make a development agreement with the landowner and the landowner declines to make the agreement.
HB 1526 by W. Smith/Seliger - Relating to incentives for and the use of alternative leak detection technologies for air contaminants. House Bill 1526 amends the Health and Safety Code to require the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to establish an incentive program that allows and encourages an owner or operator of a facility to use voluntarily as a supplemental detection method certain alternative technologies to detect leaks and emissions of air contaminants. The bill specifies regulatory incentives the commission may provide and establishes conditions and requirements for the use of the alternative technologies. The bill also limits enforcement action against a program participant for a leak or emission that would be punishable as a violation either of the law or of the facility's permit if the leak or emission was detected with an alternative technology and would not have been detected otherwise.
VETOED: HB 2006 by Woolley/Janek - Relating to the use of eminent domain authority. HB 2006 would amend the Government Code, the Local Government Code, and the Property Code relating to procedures for the state or a political subdivision of the state to exercise the power of eminent domain. Included in those procedures is the requirement for a governmental entity to authorize the initiation of the condemnation proceedings at a public meeting by a record vote. In addition, an entity with eminent domain authority that wants to acquire real property for a public use is required to make a bona fide offer to acquire the property from the owner voluntarily.
HB 2235 by Guillen/Zaffirini - Relating to the creation of a technology center grant program for rural counties. House Bill 2235 amends the Government Code to require the Office of Rural Community Affairs to establish a rural technology center grant program not later than October 1, 2007, to award grants to public institutions of higher education, public high schools, and governmental entities in counties with a population of not more than 125,000 for the development and operation of certain multi-institutional technology centers. The executive committee of the office is required by rule to establish the program's procedures and guidelines, and the office is authorized to seek, receive, and spend money to implement the program. The bill requires the office to award the first grants under the program not later than January 1, 2008.
HB 2328 by Woolley/Whitmire - Relating to the offenses of cruelty to livestock and nonlivestock animals. Previous law included both livestock and nonlivestock animals in the offense of cruelty to animals. House Bill 2328 amends the Penal Code, Family Code, Health and Safety Code, and Occupations Code to modify the offense of cruelty to animals to apply only to livestock animals.
HB 2417 by Swinford/Averitt - Relating to the responsibility for and management of the fuel ethanol and biodiesel production incentive program. HB 2417 transfers all responsibilities, management, administration and oversight of the Fuel Ethanol and Biodiesel Production Incentive Program from the Economic Development and Tourism Division of the Office of the Governor to the Department of Agriculture.
HB 2542 by Kolkhorst/Estes - Relating to the continuation and functions of the Office of Rural Community Affairs. House Bill 2542 amends the Government Code to continue the Office of Rural Community Affairs until September 1, 2013. The bill revises the powers and duties of the office in part, mandating that it serve as a clearinghouse on state and federal programs affecting rural communities, consult with specified other parties to identify and prioritize policy issues and concerns affecting rural communities, and assist those communities in the key areas of economic development, community development, rural health, and rural housing.
HB 2543 by Kolkhorst/Ellis - Relating to the continuation and operation of the Texas Animal Health Commission; providing penalties. House Bill 2543 amends the Agriculture Code to continue the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) until September 1, 2019. It requires the TAHC to comply with and implement certain management actions adopted by the Sunset Advisory Commission and to report to the commission on that topic by specified deadlines. The bill updates and revises various statutes reflecting across-the-board sunset provisions. It makes multiple changes extending or clarifying TAHC's jurisdiction to include exotic livestock, domestic fowl, and exotic fowl, as well as other livestock.
SB 415 by Lucio/McReynolds - Relating to a risk assessment program for Type 2 diabetes and the creation of the Type 2 Diabetes Risk Assessment Program Advisory Committee. SB 415 will require the University of Texas-Pan American Border Health Office (Office) to administer a risk assessment program for Type 2 Diabetes. The bill also will establish a Type 2 Diabetes Risk Assessment Program Advisory Committee.
SB 552 by Deuell/Truitt - Relating to the accreditation of basic food safety education and training programs for food handlers. The bill amends the Health and Safety Code to require the Department of State Health Services to accredit an education or training program for basic food safety for food handlers. The executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission is required to adopt rules to define the basic food safety training or education required to be included in a course curriculum. The bill prohibits the course from being longer than two hours and would allow a program to require a participant to achieve a passing score on an examination. A program accredited under the provisions of the bill may be delivered through the internet.
SB 556 by Lucio/McReynolds - Relating to the creation of an interagency obesity council. SB 556 creates an interagency obesity council comprised of the commissioners of state health services, education, and agriculture, or their designees.
SB 573 by Brimer/Hilderbran - Relating to an interim study concerning the breeding of white-tailed and mule deer in this state. SB 573 creates a new select interim committee to study the practice of breeding white-tailed deer and mule deer. The committee will consist of ten members, appointed by the Lieutenant Governor, the Speaker of the House, and the Governor.
SB 1339 by Estes/Chisum - Relating to allowing money in the disaster contingency fund to be used to provide assistance to producers of agricultural products affected by a disaster caused by severe drought or wildfire. State law provides for a disaster contingency fund that can be used if the demands placed on funds regularly appropriated to state and local agencies are unreasonably great for coping with a particular disaster. Senate Bill 1339 amends the Government Code to authorize fund disbursements to a state or local agency to provide assistance to producers of agricultural products affected by or recovering from a disaster caused by severe drought, wildfire, flood, storm, or hurricane.
SB 1440 by Hegar/Hughes - Relating to certain duties of the Office of Rural Community Affairs relating to assisting, and providing information regarding, volunteer fire departments in rural areas. Senate Bill 1440 amends the Government Code to add working with interested persons to assist volunteer fire departments and emergency services districts in rural areas to the duties of the Office of Rural Community Affairs. The bill provides that the emergency services district program established by the office may assist fire departments in rural areas with the recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters, provide information relating to assistance programs offered to rural volunteer firefighters, and provide rural homeowners with information relating to the benefits of volunteer fire departments
SB 1714 by Seliger/Smithee - Relating to regulation of dairy products. SB 1714 applies to non-Grade A manufactured milk products the same manufacturing standards as applied to Grade A milk, resulting in a more uniform system of dairy regulation in Texas.
