| 1 | 1 | | By: Guillen, Lozano (Senate Sponsor - Eltife) H.B. No. 597 |
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| 2 | 2 | | (In the Senate - Received from the House April 4, 2013; |
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| 3 | 3 | | April 9, 2013, read first time and referred to Committee on |
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| 4 | 4 | | Agriculture, Rural Affairs, and Homeland Security; May 2, 2013, |
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| 5 | 5 | | reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 5, Nays 0; |
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| 6 | 6 | | May 2, 2013, sent to printer.) |
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| 7 | 7 | | |
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| 8 | 8 | | |
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| 9 | 9 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 10 | 10 | | AN ACT |
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| 11 | 11 | | relating to boater education and examinations on preventing the |
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| 12 | 12 | | spread of exotic harmful or potentially harmful aquatic plants, |
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| 13 | 13 | | fish, and shellfish. |
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| 14 | 14 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 15 | 15 | | SECTION 1. Section 31.108, Parks and Wildlife Code, is |
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| 16 | 16 | | amended by adding Subsection (a-1) to read as follows: |
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| 17 | 17 | | (a-1) A boater education course or equivalency examination |
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| 18 | 18 | | under this section must include information on how to prevent the |
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| 19 | 19 | | spread of exotic harmful or potentially harmful aquatic plants, |
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| 20 | 20 | | fish, and shellfish, including department-approved methods for |
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| 21 | 21 | | cleaning: |
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| 22 | 22 | | (1) a boat; |
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| 23 | 23 | | (2) a boat's motor; |
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| 24 | 24 | | (3) fishing and other equipment; and |
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| 25 | 25 | | (4) a boat trailer. |
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| 26 | 26 | | SECTION 2. The Parks and Wildlife Department boater |
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| 27 | 27 | | education courses and equivalency examinations must include |
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| 28 | 28 | | information on how to prevent the spread of exotic harmful or |
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| 29 | 29 | | potentially harmful aquatic plants, fish, and shellfish as required |
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| 30 | 30 | | by Section 31.108(a-1), Parks and Wildlife Code, as added by this |
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| 31 | 31 | | Act, on or before January 1, 2014. |
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| 32 | 32 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 33 | 33 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 34 | 34 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 35 | 35 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 36 | 36 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2013. |
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| 37 | 37 | | * * * * * |
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