Enrolled Bill Summary

            Senate Bill 938 amends Agriculture Code provisions and other laws to make various changes relating primarily to the powers and authority of the commissioner of agriculture and Texas Department of Agriculture. The bill transfers from the comptroller to the commissioner the authority to impose and administer certain fees relating to sales of motor fuel mixtures and redirects associated fee revenue accordingly. The fees are to be imposed on retail dealers rather than distributors, suppliers, wholesalers, and jobbers. The bill authorizes the department to enter into cooperative agreements with private and governmental entities. It revises regulatory license sanctions and gives the department discretion in applying them. A clarification makes commodity producers boards subject to the open meetings law, the open records law, and the Tort Claims Act. Other provisions relate largely to plant and seed inspection and to revisions to the department's statistics collecting functions.