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BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

 

C.S.H.B. 792

By: Toth

Agriculture & Livestock

Committee Report (Substituted)

 

 

 

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

 

It has been noted that the purpose for which the legislature originally appropriated the funds used to acquire the present William Goodrich Jones State Forest was to demonstrate reforestation. C.S.H.B. 792 seeks to protect that original purpose with regard to the forest by making certain requirements for its conservation.

 

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

 

C.S.H.B. 792 amends the Education Code to require the entire territory of the William Goodrich Jones State Forest to remain natural, scenic, undeveloped, and open in a manner that maintains the tree canopy cover of the forest and restricts the enforcement of any statute, rule, policy, or ordinance with respect to the territory of the forest to a statute, rule, policy, or ordinance that protects and conserves the forest's natural resources, air quality, or water quality.

 

EFFECTIVE DATE

 

September 1, 2019.

 

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

 

While C.S.H.B. 792 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

 

The substitute includes the demonstration of sound forest management as an additional purpose of the forest. The substitute changes the nature of a statute, rule, policy, or ordinance authorized to be enforced with respect to the forest from such a measure that protects and preserves certain aspects of the forest to such a measure that protects and conserves those aspects.