BILL ANALYSIS |
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H.B. 328 |
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By: Heflin |
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Agriculture & Livestock |
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Committee Report (Unamended) |
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BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
The office of inspector of hides and animals was created in 1871 with the intent to aid in the prevention of cattle theft by providing a thorough inspection of all the hides and animals that were shipped out of the county. The 78th legislature passed S.B. 1389 abolishing the office. However, mention of it is still in the Election Code, the Local Government Code, and the Agriculture Code. H.J.R. 69, 80th Legislature, Regular Session, 2007, which became Proposition 10, amended the Texas Constitution to eliminate the office of inspector of hides and animals when that proposition was approved by voters in 2007. H.B. 1631, 80th Legislature, Regular Session, 2007, which pertained to removing the office of inspector of hides and animals from the statutes, failed to pass because of deadlines in the house and senate rules.
H.B. 328 is a duplicate of H.B. 1631, 80th Legislature, Regular Session, 2007, that ties up loose ends and abolishes the office of inspector of hides and animals from statute.
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RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
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ANALYSIS
H.B. 328 abolishes the office of inspector of hides and animals and amends the Election Code and the Local Government Code to make conforming changes. The bill transfers any records in the custody of an inspector of hides and animals to the county clerk of the county previously served by the inspector.
H.B. 328 amends the Agriculture Code to repeal the requirement that a slaughterer in certain counties have the hide and ears of any slaughtered cattle inspected by the inspector of hides and animals, or by a magistrate of the county, and to make conforming changes.
H.B. 328 repeals the following sections in the Agriculture Code:
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EFFECTIVE DATE
On passage, or, if the act does not receive the necessary vote, the act takes effect September 1, 2009.
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