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BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

 

S.B. 1620

By: Taylor, Van

Urban Affairs

Committee Report (Unamended)

 

 

 

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

 

Interested parties observe that local ordinances that restrict the raising or keeping of chickens affect the ability of individuals to own chickens as pets and to have fresh eggs readily available and also make it more difficult for students in agricultural organizations to raise chickens for show. S.B. 1620 seeks to address this issue by setting out provisions relating to the regulation of raising or keeping six or fewer chickens by a political subdivision.

 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

 

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

 

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. 1620 amends the Agriculture Code to prohibit a political subdivision from imposing a governmental requirement that prohibits an individual from raising or keeping six or fewer chickens in the boundaries of the political subdivision and to void a governmental requirement adopted by a political subdivision that violates this prohibition. The bill authorizes a municipality to impose reasonable governmental requirements on the raising or keeping of poultry in the boundaries of the municipality that do not have the effect of prohibiting the raising or keeping of six or fewer chickens, including a limit on the number of chickens an individual may raise or keep in excess of six, a prohibition on breeding poultry, a prohibition on raising or keeping roosters, or the minimum distance an individual must maintain between a chicken coop and a residential structure. The bill applies to a governmental requirement adopted before, on, or after the bill's effective date. 

 

EFFECTIVE DATE

 

September 1, 2017.