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House Bill 2458 |
House Author: Cook, Byron et al. |
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Effective: see below |
Senate Sponsor: Brimer |
Traditionally, the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) has been the lead state agency for pesticide regulation, but other entities have related roles, and the Texas Structural Pest Control Board has been responsible for the regulation of pesticides applied to houses, buildings, other specified structures, and associated vegetation. House Bill 2458 amends the Occupations Code and adopts other law to abolish the board and to transfer its functions to the TDA. The bill establishes a Structural Pest Control Service within the TDA and creates a structural pest control advisory committee.
The bill requires the TDA to develop a written policy governing licensing examinations. It eliminates statutory fee amounts applicable to structural pest control licensing, examination, and training programs and grants the TDA discretion to set such amounts administratively. The bill adopts new detailed provisions applicable to pesticide application and integrated pest management among school districts. It revises the statutory schedule for inspection of licensed businesses, requires development of a continuing education program for licensees, makes changes regarding complaints against applicators, and requires the TDA to make available a hotline for consumers and industry. The bill authorizes the TDA to issue stop use orders against licensees and cease and desist orders against unlicensed parties for regulatory violations, and requires the TDA to make information about enforcement actions publicly available.
Provisions relating to certain computing, reporting, and accounting tasks take effect June 15, 2007. The rest of the bill takes effect September 1, 2007.