[{"_1":2,"_124":-5,"_125":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100,112],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6236147,"mediaKeyId","3378435-13906c35228a68077be59544a15e130c","parentId",3378435,"title","Senate committee advances overhaul of Texas Agricultural Finance Authority with reduced grants, debate over funding","audioSeconds",2403,"startMs",1889000,"endMs",4292000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3378435-13906c35228a68077be59544a15e130c&start=1889&end=4292","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3378435-13906c35228a68077be59544a15e130c/thumbnail_1889000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6236147/Texas/Senate-committee-advances-overhaul-of-Texas-Agricultural-Finance-Authority-with-reduced-grants-debate-over-funding","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6236147-43de0f9ea833d430e2178a7a9761c83f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770876675&Signature=PkrMeV1WkfvMm~CMCqZgFuG7I0jeVG2X3mA9qSy36ly8VEIWvQWSIYlGr~S2fLvdVdtFcr3TD5lH2ocaVXiD5vPXH7daZZqpnlHZJwDvCSNoG1flEwoB0t7WY-ijnyeYl-NWM4eQ2XdzZRrxphVlwXkaSeI4yGSc9SriY0l9iuF87yo3riy300xPWXYtkVSH9TfsARk~28vrYEcmLlsZpTdpWDb3hCOPjjnGUQ4g6B5BViV42YAucFfu5l4qTGXq62ElNgYL2LOfcv9qODO7LnCO6HhS1DDslNd6oq8Vc~fEjDl~Isqa51FhCr~5Tk-2MambXEOH-PBTM4WHJp2cEg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Texas Legislature","date","2025-05-19T00:00:00Z","article","Sen. Sparks explained a committee substitute to House Bill 43 on behalf of the Texas Agricultural Finance Authority, saying the measure restructures the authority, revises grant and loan amounts and creates programs for pest and depredation control.

The bill’s sponsor said the changes respond to substantial recent losses in Texas agriculture. “Our ag industry really is in crisis due to, a number of, weather related issues the last couple of years,” Sen. Sparks told the committee, and he asked for the panel’s support for the substitute.

Committee members and a string of invited witnesses described the financial strains on producers and rural businesses. Bridal Adamec of the Texas Farm Bureau said recent years had produced “some of the most difficult” conditions for Texas farmers and ranchers, including drought, storms and higher input costs. Cody Bessent, chief executive of Plains Cotton Growers, described lost ginning capacity: “We had around 94 gins in our service area in 2012. We’re down to 65 today,” he said, calling the decline a threat to marketing infrastructure.

Individual producers gave concrete examples of the pressures the bill is intended to address. Rodney Shrunt, a fifth‑generation farmer, told committee members, “Our bill is $50,000 to fix that bearing at John Deere. That is 5% of our whole budget on repairs for the year.” Morgan Hodges, a young rancher and past recipient of the authority’s young farmer grant, said, “At 26 years old, we’ve taken on $496,325.58 of strictly business debt.”

The committee substitute narrowed some originally filed funding items: it reduced the maximum award for the Young Farmers Grant Program from $500,000 to $100,000 and lowered the interest rate reduction program’s maximum loan amount from $1,000,000 to $750,000; the sponsor said several program changes will be contingent on appropriations and some statutory changes delayed until the next biennium.

Members asked about fiscal implications. Sen. Johnson asked whether there was a ballpark fiscal figure; the sponsor replied that negotiations were under way and referenced a $50,000,000 figure discussed in leadership conversations, but that the final appropriation remained unresolved.

Invited witnesses from cotton, grain, ginning and feed associations urged passage to protect supply chains and rural employers; the Texas Grain and Feed Association described recent storm damage to a cooperative and said HB 43 would help restore agribusiness capacity.

After discussion, the committee adopted the committee substitute and voted to report the substitute favorably to the full Senate. The committee clerk recorded 8 ayes and no nays on the motion reporting the substitute to the Senate floor.

Questions and concerns raised during the hearing focused on available funding levels, the program match and fee structures intended to sustain parts of the authority, and the need to preserve programs targeted to early‑career and young farmers. Several witnesses urged keeping some priority for younger producers; Carolina Mueller of the National Young Farmers Coalition urged the committee to reserve 20% of funding for young farmers if possible.

The bill will go to the full Senate with a fiscal note. Sponsors and supporters said HB 43 is aimed at stabilizing producers and preserving Texas agricultural infrastructure ahead of further budget negotiations.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs May 19, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Sen. Sparks explained a committee substitute to House Bill 43 on behalf of the Texas Agricultural Finance Authority, saying the measure restructures the authority, revises grant and loan amounts and creates programs for pest and depredation control.","taxTitle","Committee on Water, Agriculture & Rural Affairs, Senate, Legislative, Texas","taxId",16930,"location","Texas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6236134,"Committee hears urban preserve managers, wildlife biologist on bill allowing targeted lethal control of deer in specific situations",121,1531000,1652000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3378435-13906c35228a68077be59544a15e130c&start=1531&end=1652","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3378435-13906c35228a68077be59544a15e130c/thumbnail_1531000.jpg","/articles/6236134/Texas/Committee-hears-urban-preserve-managers-wildlife-biologist-on-bill-allowing-targeted-lethal-control-of-deer-in-specific-situations","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6236134-efda7fe8f41663943777c635e085bc43/orig.mp4?Expires=1770876675&Signature=ejLOJGGQCUVZVXJFoIuLHTGpCNMAQtFWu23D4xv749u92xS0mJOWz81ejWEaEESPbLlazqcQldEXWemurAae2oqpNnojI3oiZ4XsCZq6Q3-jN~AyUg~MRowvxQEglD2n9key0JSQTjoNwJZBCJ2nQ4EjtGGiOZtS9-btrjlwZ3jvoMeByqH9xplgF5t2VgRbnWYZsrzwJ9ryS958sV9IErAzDwNyY0pkvPlileqG3Q4wzKiJAPwaDbCccB~f3GHZ1SEgNx8SJrA7FY~qET6BDJk3iMedBCOAJlQKzq6bRW7bwJYMv9VMjutNENVWATwHZgg1hYsN79zqA~IiLWfpGg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Sen. Perry presented House Bill 2842, a bill that would allow certain entities to manage overpopulated white‑tailed deer by lethal means when deer numbers threaten endangered species, habitat, or when public hunting is not a safe or workable solution.

Deborah Scott, a certified wildlife biologist who manages a large urban preserve, testified in favor. Scott told senators that her preserve is bordered by more than 19,000 residential and community property owners and that public hunting is not a viable option for safety reasons. She said past selective hunting did not achieve needed population reductions and that the preserve previously used a contractor under a Texas Parks and Wildlife scientific research permit; that research has concluded and the preserve now lacks a safe mechanism to manage deer.

\"HB 28 42 would help fill this gap by allowing organizations like ours to hire an agent to obtain and carry out an urban deer depredation permit,\" Scott said, adding that the change would help protect tree recruitment, ecological integrity, public safety and endangered species obligations tied to federal incidental take permits.

Scott and the sponsor emphasized that the bill is targeted and not intended to enable broad hunting or removal of property owners’ rights. The committee closed public testimony and left the bill pending for further consideration.","Sen. Perry presented House Bill 2842, a bill that would allow certain entities to manage overpopulated white‑tailed deer by lethal means when deer numbers threaten endangered species, habitat, or when public hunting is not a safe or workable solution.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6236129,"Farm Bureau tells committee municipal right‑of‑way maintenance rules burden farmers; bill would limit cities’ requirements",72,1723000,1795000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3378435-13906c35228a68077be59544a15e130c&start=1723&end=1795","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3378435-13906c35228a68077be59544a15e130c/thumbnail_1723000.jpg","/articles/6236129/Texas/Farm-Bureau-tells-committee-municipal-rightofway-maintenance-rules-burden-farmers-bill-would-limit-cities-requirements","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6236129-1933b3b12c692611dfdd6b5d693de58e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770876675&Signature=b3EWu766muyejxyNgjAuX15DQwO1~rjShCDX9FFirFgC~CMfWH-dXeMZOiXM74rSoVRZe~fUnqdJQxHxkvYMKKOh9NMVIhtYKR5VIy~z8PKzUuTsZadtDAVRf5WKkYTV7JGnj36RRv6D3VqybGkhrIiBJtUtF1Cjaih01CxhsXme1t2O1YTNOzu9zAvbjzWBkTFYussH8kl7BEeKUUOZN~MneojU1Zh5NiollmuyIQp4v8Vv-ePViLkdNxECaG5hHpqumi54GSP6OKk8NofsF1tRi3xfkI8gRA53LJ-G3GitTEXfkm5DgY0Y52UyXI63-0kBU~angB49iXWLxEDUdw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Sen. Perry laid out House Bill 41 63, which would amend the agricultural code to bar municipalities from requiring owners or lessees of agricultural operations to perform certain maintenance tasks on public right‑of‑way adjacent to their land.

Bridal Adamec of the Texas Farm Bureau testified in support, saying municipal demands to maintain right‑of‑way create a substantial burden for farmers and ranchers who manage large acreage. “Farms and ranches cover a lot of acreage and keeping up with maintenance of right of ways takes equipment, lots of fuel and a ton of time. It's costly and exhausting,” Adamec told the committee. He added that some farmers are fined and then billed by cities that send crews to perform the work, and that the current practice effectively forces producers to use private property for public use without compensation.

Adamec said the equipment used on large operations is not well suited to narrow, obstacle‑filled rights of way and that producers face citations for debris blown onto roadways when they mow. The committee closed public testimony on the bill and left it pending for further consideration.","Sen. Perry laid out House Bill 41 63, which would amend the agricultural code to bar municipalities from requiring owners or lessees of agricultural operations to perform certain maintenance tasks on public right‑of‑way adjacent to their land.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6236139,"Committee backs change to classify honey as raw agricultural commodity; beekeepers say it will help small producers",3333,1001000,4334000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3378435-13906c35228a68077be59544a15e130c&start=1001&end=4334","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3378435-13906c35228a68077be59544a15e130c/thumbnail_1001000.jpg","/articles/6236139/Texas/Committee-backs-change-to-classify-honey-as-raw-agricultural-commodity-beekeepers-say-it-will-help-small-producers","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6236139-6c5c10c7ead23ebdb38fcb026fb3106d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770876675&Signature=cniyVdrz4fdI8C1NMwGvJVKyTVqlAg1m2ND9VACbzwgv58NlfNwXfSppWTqgVXg3N0kxkV1iKlBtIrWNLjaxPrGMkZ~j6a7Aku-GngO3kY6YdjV74b6dAG6SZpowVJJe7IcW~-nAHRxHQuTuxX~DPgqFTTBRKlcLwRad3CnSRaIFKcdVQYGHC59xNKMz7e8WquRWJtSRkKFYZktkza2eV~YwiQuTALMvrCJnrdfZx95IaU7o8l1PsKGRT6dHIRqs2UnH3pFISWSgilTD~dXcHz~CzfKSQJJLd94FQGqR0AzVSCnOcIR0QmtDD0IXhvLYFNEvN3Szp2nkuDJKpgY3bQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senators voted to report House Bill 519 favorably after hearing testimony from beekeepers who said current rules treat small honey producers like food manufacturers and impose unnecessary kitchen and labeling requirements.

Proponents said the bill will align state practice with federal guidance that treats raw extracted honey as an agricultural commodity. Laurel Morris, a beekeeper and environmental engineering graduate, told the committee the change would support small family farms after she relied on an agricultural valuation to survive losses from pesticide exposure and a July 4 fire. “Honey is antimicrobial and shelf stable from the moment it's made in the beehive to the moment you spin it out,” Morris said, arguing the product “rarely spoils, and it poses no health risk when handled safely at home.”

Gary Barber, president of the Texas Beekeepers Association, registered support and spoke from the association, saying the group supported the bill.

Morris told senators she keeps seven hives and said that treating honey extraction as agricultural production would help small producers maintain 1‑D‑1 ag tax valuations and avoid the expense of commercial kitchen requirements.

The committee recorded 8 ayes and no nays and reported the bill favorably to the full Senate; it also recommended the bill for the local and uncontested calendar.","The committee approved House Bill 519, which revises the definition of a honey production operation so that extraction and bottling of raw honey are treated as agricultural production rather than food manufacturing. Beekeepers said the change reduces regulatory burdens that have affected small operations.",{"_33":113,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":114,"_41":115,"_43":116,"_45":117,"_47":118,"_49":119,"_51":120,"_53":121,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":122,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":123,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6236144,"Committee adopts substitute to require clear labeling for imported shrimp; enforcement and liability questions raised",4415,153000,4568000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3378435-13906c35228a68077be59544a15e130c&start=153&end=4568","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3378435-13906c35228a68077be59544a15e130c/thumbnail_153000.jpg","/articles/6236144/Texas/Committee-adopts-substitute-to-require-clear-labeling-for-imported-shrimp-enforcement-and-liability-questions-raised","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6236144-f8b62b802bc8c31a1636675e864f39d3/orig.mp4?Expires=1770876675&Signature=H6luoPi~XCilb3YH32qIJiO1qKucewIPRCcbGbBXmwRHvVL~YK1WeSFBshCRb3ZwjQhmJXEk~jQzNCkRcICyCePkt4zGm7Kbk0cgH2nkwhTbfxgZxi2Lrg17-RP0H1w-BRqUjcQmyev7yWbVqTRTcX6bq2uAvA5zdlcmbN5cfEF9gn-LEXSXA91~mn~9N9gAXtGbI~bu8fMIRljjcSL9fvblJAI-3-5ev2hkQXdnahpoBreBIHjxeFUDfmfe60RuHBfv~nXBXsYPOB2vFAXkjmxWk1du138Ys5BuDSeH4rpNpWct-B6AqOWAdpshUQ8TTej1h~2lGji7Ve-ukgFHyg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The committee adopted a substitute for Senate Bill 823, which requires that shrimp sold in Texas by food service suppliers, wholesalers or distributors include clear and conspicuous labeling when the shrimp are imported.

The substitute bars restaurants and other sellers from labeling or representing imported shrimp as Texas shrimp, American shrimp, domestic shrimp, or Gulf shrimp, and aligns the definition of imported shrimp with federal country‑of‑origin labeling standards.

Senators and witnesses raised enforcement and allocation‑of‑liability questions during the hearing. Vice Chair Hancock questioned why wholesalers — often a pass‑through entity — would be accountable when they typically receive product already labeled by a supplier. Hancock asked whether wholesalers are able to relabel products; the line of questioning probed whether the substitute appropriately targeted the party that could most readily correct mislabeling.

Timothy Stevenson of the Department of State Health Services, a resource witness, told the committee that relabeling in the food industry typically involves processing or manufacturing steps. “It’s the same in the food industry — if they’re relabeling, relabeling requires a processing manufacturing or process,” Stevenson said, explaining why wholesalers can sometimes be regulated when they change labels or package products.

Kelsey Erickson Streifert of the Texas Restaurant Association said the association had worked with the sponsor on the substitute and “we’re happy with the language as it stands and happy to answer any questions.” She indicated the association supported the revised enforcement language, which allows local regulatory entities such as municipalities or counties to impose administrative penalties on permit holders who violate labeling requirements, while the bill excludes packaged shrimp sold through grocery retail outlets.

The substitute includes an affirmative‑defense provision for good‑faith reliance on supply‑chain information; in committee questioning, senators explored examples of good faith — for instance, a restaurant that relied on a manufacturer label that did not indicate imported product would have a possible defense.

Committee members also discussed whether existing law already made relabeling illegal and whether HB 823 (the substitute) mainly clarified enforcement authority for health departments and local regulators rather than creating a new private cause of action.

The committee adopted the committee substitute; the substitute will be reported to the Senate with the committee’s action noted on the record.

No final floor disposition was decided during the hearing; the committee’s adoption of the substitute was the principal committee action recorded.","The committee adopted a substitute for Senate Bill 823 to require clear origin labeling for shrimp sold by food service suppliers and wholesalers and to bar representing imported shrimp as Texas, American or Gulf shrimp; witnesses and senators debated who should bear liability and how enforcement would work.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Senate committee advances overhaul of Texas Agricultural Finance Authority with reduced grants, debate over funding

Committee hears urban preserve managers, wildlife biologist on bill allowing targeted lethal control of deer in specific situations

Farm Bureau tells committee municipal right‑of‑way maintenance rules burden farmers; bill would limit cities’ requirements

Committee backs change to classify honey as raw agricultural commodity; beekeepers say it will help small producers

Committee adopts substitute to require clear labeling for imported shrimp; enforcement and liability questions raised