BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 2596

By: White

Agriculture & Livestock

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Concerns have been raised regarding municipal ordinances that ban the raising of backyard chickens in a residential area, which can have the effect of prohibiting an individual from owning chickens as pets and having fresh eggs readily available and the effect of making it more difficult for students in agricultural programs to raise chickens for show. H.B. 2596 seeks to address these concerns by prohibiting a political subdivision from imposing a governmental requirement that bans the raising or keeping of six or fewer chickens in the political subdivision's boundaries.

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

H.B. 2596 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 political subdivision's boundaries and to make such an adopted governmental requirement void. The bill authorizes a municipality to impose reasonable governmental requirements on the raising or keeping of poultry in the municipality's boundaries that do not have the effect of prohibiting the raising or keeping of six or fewer chickens and lists examples of reasonable requirements. The bill applies to a governmental requirement adopted before, on, or after the bill's effective date. 

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2019.