BILL ANALYSIS


                                                     C.S.S.B. 590
                                                        By: Brown
                                                      Agriculture
                                                         04-06-95
                                   Committee Report (Substituted)
BACKGROUND

Section 12.031 of the Agriculture Code allows the Texas Department
of Agriculture to publish, sell, receive royalties, and enter into
contractual agreements related to providing information about
agriculture, horticulture and related industries.  There is no
language in the Agriculture Code pertaining to the actual selling
of advertising in the department's publications.

PURPOSE

As proposed, C.S.S.B. 590 authorizes the Department of Agriculture
to sell advertisements in publications of the department.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that rulemaking authority is granted
to the Department of Agriculture under SECTION 1 (Section
12.032(b), Agriculture Code) of this bill.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Chapter 12, Agriculture Code, by adding Section
12.032, as follows:

     Sec.  12.032.  ADVERTISEMENTS IN DEPARTMENT PUBLICATIONS.  (a)
     Authorizes the Department of Agriculture (department) to sell
     advertisements in department publications.
     
     (b) Requires the department to adopt rules to implement
       advertisement sales, including rules regulating the
       advertisement costs, the types of products or services that
       may be advertised, the advertisement sizes, and refunds on
       advertisements that are not run.
       
       (c) Requires proceeds from the advertisement sales to be
       used to pay the department's publication costs.  Requires
       any excess funds to be deposited in the general revenue
       fund.
       
       SECTION 2.   Emergency clause.
           Effective date: upon passage.