| TO: | Honorable Craig Estes, Chair, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Rural Affairs & Homeland Security |
| FROM: | Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | SB818 by Duncan (Relating to boll weevil eradication activities and programs.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted |
The bill would amend the Agriculture Code relating to boll weevil eradication activities and programs. The bill would establish a threshold where cotton growers eligible to vote within a zone participating within the Boll Weevil Eradication Program could petition for a proposition of discontinuing the program if certain conditions are met. Additionally, the bill would allow the Texas Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation to transfer funds, including producer assessments, between eradication zones or maintenance areas. Under provisions of the bill, the board of directors of the Texas Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation must consult with affected cotton grower steering committees. The transfer of funds between eradication zones would then be dependent on a decision of both the board of directors of the Texas Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation and the Commissioner of Agriculture. The state currently transfers $7.5 million per fiscal year to the Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation. Additionally cotton growers pay maintenance fees directly to the Foundation. The bill would not change state expenditures related to boll weevil eradication, accordingly no significant fiscal impact to the state is anticipated.
The bill would take effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of the members of each house; otherwise the bill would take effect September 1, 2013.
| Source Agencies: | 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts, 551 Department of Agriculture
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| LBB Staff: | UP, SZ, ZS, JP
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