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Senate Bill 1137 |
Senate Author: Madla et al. |
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Effective: 6-17-05 |
House Sponsor: Swinford |
Senate Bill 1137 amends the Agriculture Code and the Alcoholic Beverage Code to make changes relating to the wine industry. One set of provisions relates to legislation from 2003 that allowed winery permit holders in dry areas to sell or dispense wine only if it is manufactured in Texas and contains, by volume, at least 75 percent juice from Texas grapes or fruit. The bill directs the Texas Wine Marketing Research Institute (Texas Tech University) or another qualified entity to report annually to the agriculture commissioner on Texas grape and fruit availability, and authorizes the commissioner to reduce the 75 percent requirement in instances of insufficiency. A determination on reducing the required percentage is due not later than December 31 of each year and applies to wine bottled during the next calendar year. The bill authorizes the commissioner to establish a voluntary registry for Texas vineyards and fruit growers to assist with availability determination and to appoint a wine industry development advisory committee. Other provisions relate to winery advertising, allowable locations for storage of winery product, the sharing of winery premises by permittees, and a repeal of the restriction limiting permittees to no more than four wine festivals per year. The bill amends the Transportation Code to replace provisions for agricultural interest signs along highways with a new tourist-oriented directional sign program targeting eligible wineries and businesses related to agriculture and tourism.