Amend SB 703 (house committee report) by adding the following appropriately numbered SECTIONS to the bill and renumbering the SECTIONS of the bill accordingly:
SECTION ____. The heading to Title 3, Agriculture Code, is amended to read as follows:
TITLE 3. TEXAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM OFFICE: AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND PROMOTION
SECTION ____. Title 3, Agriculture Code, is amended by adding Chapter 40 to read as follows:
CHAPTER 40. ADMINISTRATION OF TITLE
Sec. 40.001. DEFINITIONS. Notwithstanding Section 1.003, in this title:
(1) "Commissioner" means the executive director of the economic development office.
(2) "Department" means the economic development office.
(3) "Economic development office" means the Texas Economic Development and Tourism Office within the office of the governor.
Sec. 40.002. ADMINISTRATION BY TEXAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM OFFICE. Notwithstanding any other law:
(1) the economic development office shall administer this title;
(2) the executive director of the economic development office has the powers and duties assigned by this title to the commissioner of agriculture; and
(3) the economic development office has the powers and duties assigned by this title to the Department of Agriculture.
SECTION ____. (a) In this section, "economic development office" means the Texas Economic Development and Tourism Office within the office of the governor.
(b) The economic development office assumes all of the obligations, property, rights, powers, and duties of the Department of Agriculture under Title 3, Agriculture Code, as they exist immediately before the effective date of this Act. All unexpended and unobligated funds under the management of the Department of Agriculture allocated for the purpose of Title 3, Agriculture Code, are transferred to the general revenue fund for the purpose of the economic development office administering Title 3, Agriculture Code.
(c) The Department of Agriculture and the economic development office shall, in consultation with appropriate state entities, ensure that the transfer of the obligations, property, rights, powers, and duties of the Department of Agriculture under Title 3, Agriculture Code, to the economic development office is completed not later than September 1, 2022.
(d) All rules of the Department of Agriculture under Title 3, Agriculture Code, are continued in effect as rules of the economic development office until superseded by a rule of the economic development office.