Honorable Charles Perry, Chair, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Water & Rural Affairs
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB3582 by Paddie (relating to agriculture, including the regulation of seed by a political subdivision and the abolition of certain entities associated with the Department of Agriculture.), Committee Report 2nd House, Substituted
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend Texas Agriculture Code, Chapter 61 by adding Section 61.019, which would prohibit a political subdivision from adopting an order, ordinance, or other measure to regulate agriculture seed, vegetable seed, weed seed, or any other seed. A political subdivision may take actions to comply with state or federal requirements, to avoid state or federal fines, to attain or maintain compliance with federal or state environmental standards, or to implement a water conservation plan, drought contingency plan, or voluntary program as part of a conservation water management strategy.
The bill would amend Texas Agriculture Code to abolish the Agriculture Policy Board, established in Section 2.004, and the Texas Bioenergy Policy Council and the Texas Bioenergy Research Committee, established in Chapter 50D. The bill would instruct the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) to take custody of any property, records, or other assets, including unspent and unobligated appropriations, of any entity abolished by the bill. The bill would take effect September 1, 2017.
Local Government Impact
According to the Texas Municipal League, the fiscal impact to municipalities is not anticipated to be significant.