BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 1107

By: Zaffirini

Agriculture & Livestock

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

It has been reported that during the last fiscal year Texas state agencies and institutions of higher education spent more than $800 million on food purchases and that, while many of the distributors of this food are based in Texas, only a small portion of the food is sourced in Texas. There is rising public interest in locally grown food with the assurance of quality, food security, and food safety as additional benefits. Because interested parties want to help create the demand necessary to stabilize agricultural producers and keep Texans' tax dollars in Texas, S.B. 1107 seeks to amend current law relating to the preference given by state and local governmental entities to agricultural products produced or grown within Texas.

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.

ANALYSIS

S.B. 1107 amends the Education Code to authorize a school district that purchases agricultural products to give preference to products produced, processed, or grown in Texas if the cost to the school district does not exceed 107 percent of the cost of agricultural products produced or grown outside of Texas and if the quality is equal.

S.B. 1107 amends the Government Code to authorize the comptroller of public accounts and all state agencies, when making purchases of agricultural products, to give first preference to agricultural products grown in Texas if the cost to the state does not exceed 107 percent of the cost of agricultural products grown outside of Texas and if the quality is equal.

S.B. 1107 amends the Local Government Code to require a municipality, county, special-purpose district or authority, or other political subdivision of this state, other than a school district, that purchases agricultural products to give preference to those produced or grown in Texas if the cost to the local governmental entity is equal and if the quality is equal and authorizes such an entity to give preference to those products produced or grown in Texas if the cost to the entity does not exceed 107 percent of the cost of agricultural products produced or grown outside of Texas and if the quality is equal.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2013.