TO:	Honorable Charles Perry, Chair, Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture & Rural Affairs
FROM:	Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	HB3289 by González, Mary (Relating to the penalties for a violation of a quarantine or rule to protect pecans or pecan trees from diseases or pests; increasing civil penalties.), As Engrossed

The bill would establish a civil penalty of between $500 and $20,000 for violating provisions of the Agriculture Code related to the protection of pecans or pecan trees from disease or pests by making persons that violate for each violation. The bill would permit remedying of the first assessment of this civil penalty or a Class C misdemeanor offense by entering into a compliance agreement with the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) and returning, treating, or destroying the item subject to the quarantine as directed by TDA.

Based on the analysis of the TDA, duties and responsibilities associated with implementing the provisions of the bill could absorbed with available resources.

Based on the analysis of the Comptroller of Public Accounts, the revenue implications of the civil penalties cannot be estimated because the number of penalties and the amount that would be assessed by the TDA is unknown. 

Local Government Impact

No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.