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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to a grant program to reduce wait times for agricultural |
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inspections of vehicles at ports of entry along the Texas-Mexico |
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border. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Chapter 12, Agriculture Code, is amended by |
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adding Section 12.050 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 12.050. TRADE AGRICULTURAL INSPECTION GRANT PROGRAM. |
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(a) Using money appropriated for this purpose or money received |
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under Subsection (g), the department may make a grant to a nonprofit |
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organization for the purpose of promoting the agricultural |
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processing industry in this state by reducing wait times for |
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agricultural inspections of vehicles at ports of entry along the |
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border with the United Mexican States. |
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(b) The department shall request proposals for the award of |
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a grant under this section. The department shall evaluate the |
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proposals and award a grant based on the proposed program's |
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quantifiable effectiveness and the potentially positive impact on |
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the agricultural processing industry in this state. |
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(c) A grant awarded under this section must be made to an |
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organization that has demonstrated experience working with border |
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inspection authorities to reduce border crossing wait times. |
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(d) A grant recipient may use grant money received under |
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this section only to pay for activities directly related to the |
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purpose of the grant program as described by Subsection (a). A |
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grant recipient may use grant money to reimburse a federal |
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governmental agency that, at the request of the grant recipient, |
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provides additional border agricultural inspectors or pays |
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overtime to border agricultural inspectors at ports of entry along |
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the border with the United Mexican States. |
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(e) The department shall establish procedures to administer |
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the grant program, including a procedure for the submission of a |
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proposal and a procedure to be used by the department to evaluate a |
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proposal. |
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(f) The department shall enter into a contract that includes |
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performance requirements with each grant recipient. The department |
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shall monitor and enforce the terms of the contract. The contract |
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must authorize the department to recoup grant money from a grant |
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recipient for failure of the grant recipient to comply with the |
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terms of the contract. |
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(g) The department may solicit and accept gifts, grants, and |
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donations from any source for the purpose of awarding grants under |
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this section. |
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(h) To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, a |
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nonprofit organization must provide matching funds. The department |
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may not award a grant to a nonprofit organization until the |
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department certifies that the nonprofit organization has the |
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matching funds. The amount of the grant may not exceed the amount |
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of matching funds. The department may not require a nonprofit |
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organization to provide matching funds in an amount that exceeds |
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the amount of the grant. |
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(i) The total amount of grants awarded under this section |
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may not exceed $725,000 for the duration of the program. |
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(j) The department may adopt any rules necessary to |
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implement this section. |
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(k) Not later than January 15, 2021, the department shall |
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evaluate the performance of the program under this section and |
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submit a report to the legislature. The report must include an |
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evaluation of agricultural inspections affected by the program, |
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including the extent to which the program is reducing wait times for |
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agricultural inspections of vehicles at ports of entry along the |
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border with the United Mexican States. |
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(l) Unless continued in existence by the legislature, this |
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section expires September 1, 2021. |
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SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |