| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to the composition of the board of directors of the Texas |
|
|
Agricultural Finance Authority and grant amounts under the young |
|
|
farmer grant program administered by the authority. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Section 58.012(a), Agriculture Code, is amended |
|
|
to read as follows: |
|
|
(a) The authority is governed by a board of directors |
|
|
composed of the commissioner of agriculture, a representative of |
|
|
the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences [the director of the |
|
|
Institute for International Agribusiness Studies] at Prairie View |
|
|
A&M University selected by the dean of the college, a |
|
|
representative of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources |
|
|
at Tarleton State University selected by the dean of the college, |
|
|
and 10 [nine] members appointed by the commissioner. Members of |
|
|
the board must be appointed in the numbers specified and from the |
|
|
following categories: |
|
|
(1) one person who is an elected or appointed official |
|
|
of a municipality or county; |
|
|
(2) four persons who are knowledgeable about |
|
|
agricultural lending practices; |
|
|
(3) one person who is a representative of agricultural |
|
|
businesses; |
|
|
(4) one person who is a representative of agriculture |
|
|
related entities, including rural chambers of commerce, |
|
|
foundations, trade associations, institutions of higher education, |
|
|
or other entities involved in agricultural matters; [and] |
|
|
(5) two persons who represent young farmers and the |
|
|
interests of young farmers; and |
|
|
(6) one person who is knowledgeable about agricultural |
|
|
practices and graduated with an agriculture degree from a state |
|
|
institution of higher education within the past eight years. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Section 58.093, Agriculture Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 58.093. AMOUNT OF GRANTS. A grant under the young |
|
|
farmer grant program may not be less than $5,000 or more than |
|
|
$35,000 [$20,000]. |
|
|
SECTION 3. Section 58.093, Agriculture Code, as amended by |
|
|
this Act, applies only to a grant issued on or after the effective |
|
|
date of this Act. A grant issued before the effective date of this |
|
|
Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the grant is issued, |
|
|
and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
|
|
SECTION 4. The changes in law made by this Act in the |
|
|
qualifications of appointed members of the board of directors of |
|
|
the Texas Agricultural Finance Authority do not affect the |
|
|
entitlement of an appointed member serving on the board immediately |
|
|
before the effective date of this Act to continue to serve for the |
|
|
remainder of the member's term. As the terms of board members |
|
|
expire, the commissioner of agriculture shall appoint or reappoint |
|
|
a member who has the qualifications required for a member under |
|
|
Section 58.012(a), Agriculture Code, as amended by this Act. |
|
|
SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |