HBA-NMO H.B. 2432 76(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2432
By: Swinford
Agriculture & Livestock
3/24/1999
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Current law does not provide for the labeling of sorghum seed containing
tannin.  Tannin is a brown, bitter tasting pigment in sorghum grain.  Grain
sorghum ranges from very high to very low levels of tannin.  Farmers have
reasons for planting both varieties of sorghum.  Tannin is effective at
preventing crop loss to birds, but is not highly desirable to cattle when
placed in feed.  Cattle will eat less and grow more slowly when fed a
high-tannin sorghum.  For this reason, high-tannin sorghum may be sold at a
lower market price than low-tannin sorghum, or rejected altogether.  H.B.
2432 requires that each container of sorghum seed containing tannin
available for sale bear a label that indicates to the reader that the seed
contains tannin and may be less valuable than other sorghum and may be
rejected by buyers of grain. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Chapter 61, Agriculture Code, by adding Section 61.0045,
as follows: 

Sec. 61.0045.  LABELING OF SORGHUM SEED CONTAINING TANNIN.  Requires each
container of sorghum seed containing tannin that is sold or offered or
exposed for sale in this state to bear or have attached in a conspicuous
place a plainly written or printed label in English that contains the
following statement relating to the contents of the container: "This
sorghum seed will produce seed that contains tannin.  This seed may be less
valuable than other sorghum and may be rejected by buyers of grain." 

SECTION 2.  Effective date: September 1, 1999.
            Makes application of this Act prospective.

SECTION 3.  Emergency clause.