BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 3959

By: Buckley

Agriculture & Livestock

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The COVID-19 pandemic has reportedly had a dramatically negative effect on the youth livestock show industry in Texas. The cancellation of youth livestock shows deprived young Texans of the opportunity to show their animals, as well as much-needed funds and scholarships that would have come from the sale of their animals. C.S.H.B. 3959 seeks to ensure that meaningful opportunities for Texas youth involved in the raising and showing of livestock continue during and after the recovery from the pandemic by providing for the creation of the Texas youth livestock show grant program.

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. 3959 amends the Agriculture Code to require the Department of Agriculture (TDA) to establish and administer the Texas youth livestock show grant program. The bill restricts the use of a grant to providing financial assistance to youth livestock shows in Texas and makes a youth livestock show eligible for a grant if the show is part of the youth livestock validation program and either has been in existence for less than 10 years or is a regional youth livestock show. The bill requires the TDA to establish grant eligibility requirements and a grant application process and to encourage participation from livestock shows of varying sizes, types of entries, and needs.

C.S.H.B. 3959 creates the Texas youth livestock show fund as an account in the general revenue fund administered by the TDA. The bill sets out the composition of the fund and restricts the use of money therein by the TDA to providing grants under the grant program and promoting and encouraging donations to the fund. The bill authorizes the TDA to accept grants, gifts, or donations from any source that are made for the purposes of the grant program and requires that any such money received be deposited in the fund.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2021.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 3959 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.

Both the original and the substitute establish the Texas youth livestock show fund to provide grants for youth livestock shows in Texas. However, the substitute revises the original's provisions relating to the fund and the grant program to do the following:

·       correct references to clarify that the TDA is responsible for administering the fund and the grant program;

·       specify that the fund is an account in the general revenue fund; and

·       include requirements not in the original for the TDA to establish grant eligibility requirements and an application process and encourage participation from livestock shows of varying sizes, types of entries, and needs.

With respect to the composition of the fund, the substitute omits provisions of the original which funded the fund entirely through an allocation of certain sales and use tax revenues. Instead, the substitute provides that the fund consists of gifts, grants, and other donations, as well as earned interest and any money appropriated to the fund by the legislature. Accordingly, the substitute expands the purposes for which TDA may use money in the fund to include promoting and encouraging donations to the fund.