By Cook H.B. No. 3277
Line and page numbers may not match official copy.
Bill not drafted by TLC or Senate E&E.
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to research on agriculture production in the Gulf Coast
1-3 Region and its effect on water use and availability and wildlife
1-4 habitat.
1-5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-6 SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 88, Education Code, is
1-7 amended by adding Section 88.216 to read as follows:
1-8 Sec. 88.216. AGRICULTURE/WILDLIFE RESEARCH AND MANAGEMENT
1-9 ADVISORY COMMITTEE; OTHER AGENCIES. (a) The Agriculture/Wildlife
1-10 Research and Management Advisory Committee is established as an
1-11 advisory committee within the Texas Agricultural Experiment
1-12 Station.
1-13 (b) The advisory committee consists of 13 members appointed
1-14 as follows:
1-15 (1) one representative of Texas Agriculture Experiment
1-16 Station appointed by the director of the Texas Agricultural
1-17 Experiment Station;
1-18 (2) one representative of the Texas Agriculture
1-19 Extension Service appointed by the director of the Texas
1-20 Agriculture Extension Service;
1-21 (3) one representative of Texas Tech University
2-1 appointed by the dean of the College of Agriculture of Texas Tech
2-2 University;
2-3 (4) one representative of The University of Texas
2-4 appointed by the vice president for research of The University of
2-5 Texas System;
2-6 (5) one representative of the Department of
2-7 Agriculture appointed by the commissioner of agriculture;
2-8 (6) one representative of the Parks and Wildlife
2-9 Department appointed by the director of the department;
2-10 (7) one representative of the Texas Water Development
2-11 Board appointed by the executive director of the board;
2-12 (8) one representative of county governments appointed
2-13 by the governor;
2-14 (9) one representative of the general public appointed
2-15 by the governor;
2-16 (10) one representative of the agribusiness industry
2-17 appointed by the governor;
2-18 (11) one representative of the environmental community
2-19 appointed by the governor
2-20 (12) one representative of wildlife interest appointed
2-21 by the governor; and
2-22 (13) one representative of the Texas rice industry
2-23 appointed by the governor.
2-24 (c) The members of the committee serve staggered two-year
2-25 terms, with the terms of the members described by Subsections
3-1 (b)(1)-(6) expiring on February 1 of each odd-numbered year and the
3-2 terms of the other members expiring on February 1 of each
3-3 even-numbered year. A member may serve more than one term.
3-4 (d) The members of the advisory committee shall elect a
3-5 member of the committee to serve as presiding officer for a term of
3-6 two years.
3-7 (e) The advisory committee shall meet not less than two
3-8 times each year.
3-9 (f) The advisory committee may adopt rules for the advisory
3-10 committee's internal procedures.
3-11 (g) The administrative expenses of the advisory committee
3-12 may not exceed 20 percent of the total amount of funds available
3-13 for expenditure by the advisory committee.
3-14 (h) Members of the advisory committee are not entitled to
3-15 compensation for service on the advisory committee. A member of
3-16 the advisory committee who represents a university or state agency
3-17 may receive reimbursement for travel expenses from the university
3-18 or agency the member represents. A member of the advisory
3-19 committee who does not represent a university or state agency shall
3-20 pay the member's own expenses.
3-21 (i) The advisory committee shall:
3-22 (1) advise, assist, and direct the Texas Agricultural
3-23 Experiment Station in conducting agriculture/wildlife research;
3-24 (2) encourage communication with other states that
3-25 have similar interest in agriculture, wildlife and water issues;
4-1 and
4-2 (3) establish a framework for more efficient
4-3 management of water as it relates to wildlife habitat and
4-4 agriculture production in the Gulf Coast Region.
4-5 (j) The Texas Agricultural Experiment Station shall:
4-6 (1) administer the agriculture/wildlife basic research
4-7 program;
4-8 (2) solicit, distribute, and create competitive grant
4-9 and other funding programs for agriculture/wildlife research;
4-10 (3) engage in activities necessary to maximize funding
4-11 received from the federal government for agriculture research and
4-12 wildlife research and management; and
4-13 (4) with the advice of the advisory committee, plan a
4-14 program of research regarding agriculture production and its
4-15 relationship with water use and wildlife habitat.
4-16 (k) The Texas Agricultural Extension Service shall:
4-17 (1) provide educational programs regarding agriculture
4-18 production, water use and wildlife habitat; and
4-19 (2) conduct public awareness programs regarding
4-20 agriculture production, water use and wildlife habitat and their
4-21 interaction through the use of the media, publications,
4-22 demonstrations, and other means of public education.
4-23 SECTION 2. Sections 46.001(a), (b), (c), (d), and (e),
4-24 Agriculture Code, are added to read as follows:
4-25 (a) The Agriculture/Wildlife Research and Management
5-1 Advisory Committee established under Section 88.216, Education
5-2 Code, in the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station shall oversee a
5-3 program to finance broadly based agriculture/wildlife research that
5-4 the advisory committee determines to be of the highest scientific
5-5 merit and offers the greatest promise in providing new directions
5-6 for long-term solutions to continued agriculture production, water
5-7 availability and wildlife habitat availability.
5-8 (b) An award under the program described by Subsection (a)
5-9 of this section shall be granted for a two-year period for
5-10 individual or group projects, and may be extended after review by
5-11 the advisory committee at the end of that period.
5-12 (c) The Texas Agricultural Experiment Station may accept
5-13 gifts and grants from the federal government, state government, and
5-14 private sources, as well as legislative appropriations. The use of
5-15 gifts and grants other than legislative appropriations is subject,
5-16 after their appropriation, only to limitations contained in the
5-17 gift or grant.
5-18 (d) The Texas Agricultural Experiment Station shall make an
5-19 annual accounting of all money received, awarded, and expended
5-20 during the year to the legislative committees responsible for
5-21 agricultural issues.
5-22 (e) The Texas Agricultural Experiment Station may adopt
5-23 rules necessary for the implementation and administration of the
5-24 award program.
5-25 SECTION 3. Before July 1, 2001, the Texas Agricultural
6-1 Experiment Station shall present to the lieutenant governor, the
6-2 speaker of the house of representatives, and the chair of the
6-3 committee responsible for agriculture matters in each house of the
6-4 legislature a report prepared with the assistance, advice, and
6-5 approval of the Agriculture/Wildlife Research and Management
6-6 Advisory Committee, regarding the following:
6-7 (1) the research being conducted regarding
6-8 agriculture/wildlife by universities, government agencies, and
6-9 private concerns;
6-10 (2) the research that might be conducted if additional
6-11 funds were available;
6-12 (3) the possible benefits that might be achieved
6-13 through current and future research efforts;
6-14 (4) an estimate of the cost associated with past,
6-15 current, and future changes in agriculture production and the
6-16 effects on water quality and availability and the direct and
6-17 indirect effects on wildlife habitats;
6-18 (5) recommendations for future research on agriculture
6-19 production, water use, and wildlife habitats in Texas;
6-20 (6) an estimate of the cost of an appropriate amount
6-21 of research necessary to address the problems associated with
6-22 agriculture production, water use and wildlife habitat in Texas;
6-23 (8) an estimate of the economic and human costs
6-24 associated with not addressing the problems in agriculture
6-25 production, water use and wildlife habitat in Texas; and
7-1 (9) an estimate of the amount the legislature should
7-2 appropriate to support the appropriate level of research and
7-3 management necessary to address the problems in agriculture
7-4 production, water use and wildlife Texas.
7-5 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the
7-6 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
7-7 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
7-8 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
7-9 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
7-10 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
7-11 passage, and it is so enacted.