BILL ANALYSIS |
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C.S.H.B. 3037 |
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By: Anderson |
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Agriculture & Livestock |
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Committee Report (Substituted) |
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BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Interested parties have expressed serious concerns regarding the recent selling of state-owned longhorn cattle from Big Bend Ranch State Park. The parties note that when this West Texas park was originally purchased a number of years ago, the purchase included the longhorn herd that roamed the property. The parties contend that the longhorns are considered an integral part of Big Bend heritage and have remained in the park as living exhibits of how the west once was. The parties further contend that the herd is important both to maintaining the genetic integrity of one of the purest longhorn bloodlines and to preserve an important vestige of the state's heritage as the state becomes increasingly urbanized.
The interested parties note that, in recent months, the state began selling off drastic numbers of the longhorn herd from Big Bend Ranch State Park, culling the herd by roughly half. The parties further note that while it is normal for the park to sell off its yearly calf crop to help provide additional funds for the maintenance and upkeep of the herd, the recent sale drastically reduced the herd. The parties contend that there needs to be limitations on the selling of this longhorn herd to ensure that the herd remains a vital example of Texas heritage. C.S.H.B. 3037 seeks to address this issue.
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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
C.S.H.B. 3037 amends the Parks and Wildlife Code to prohibit the Parks and Wildlife Department from reducing the size of a herd of longhorn cattle by selling longhorn cattle owned by the state and located in Big Bend Ranch State Park unless the cattle remain in the park after the sale. The bill's provisions do not prohibit the sale of longhorn calves and heifers if the number of breeding stock is not reduced or prohibit the sale of cattle to replace breeding stock as necessary to maintain the size of the herd or to prevent inbreeding.
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EFFECTIVE DATE
On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2013.
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COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE
While C.S.H.B. 3037 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following comparison is organized and highlighted in a manner that indicates the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.
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