By: Miller of Erath, et al. (Senate Sponsor - Estes) H.B. No. 1881
(In the Senate - Received from the House April 24, 2009;
May 1, 2009, read first time and referred to Committee on
Agriculture and Rural Affairs; May 12, 2009, reported favorably by
the following vote: Yeas 4, Nays 0; May 12, 2009, sent to printer.)
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the creation of the Texas Equine Incentive Program.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Chapter 12, Agriculture Code, is amended by
adding Section 12.044 to read as follows:
Sec. 12.044. EQUINE INCENTIVE PROGRAM. (a) The department
shall create and administer an equine incentive program to provide
an incentive for the owners of certain Texas-based horses to enter
the horses as participants in horse events in this state. The
program may apply only to the following breeds of horses:
(1) Appaloosa horses;
(2) paint horses; and
(3) quarter horses.
(b) On the filing of an annual report with the applicable
breeders' association, the owner of a stallion that has bred more
than five mares during the 12-month period preceding the report
shall submit a duplicate of the report to the department for the
sixth and any subsequent mare bred by the stallion. An owner
required to submit a duplicate breeding report by this subsection
shall pay the department an equine incentive program fee in an
amount of not less than $30 per mare bred, as determined by the
department, in connection with each report submitted to the
department.
(c) An owner required by Subsection (b) to submit a
duplicate breeding report and equine incentive program fee may
elect not to participate in the program by giving written notice to
the department not later than the 30th day before the owner's annual
breeding report is due to the applicable breeders' association.
(d) Notwithstanding Subsection (b), the owner of a stallion
that has bred fewer than six mares may elect to participate in the
program by submitting a duplicate breeding report and paying the
equine incentive program fee required by Subsection (b) for each
mare bred by the stallion.
(e) The department by rule shall provide for the use of fees
collected under Subsection (b) to grant equine incentive awards to
the owners of eligible foals that participate in horse events in
this state. A foal is eligible for an incentive award under this
section only if an equine incentive program fee has been paid on
behalf of the foal's dam.
(f) The department by rule shall establish a point system by
which the owner of an eligible foal may receive an equine incentive
award based on the foal's participation in horse events held in this
state that are sanctioned by the applicable horse breeders'
association.
(g) The department may use not more than five percent of the
fees collected under Subsection (b) to administer the program.
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009.
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