84R25260 SMH-D
By: Fletcher H.B. No. 1513
Substitute the following for H.B. No. 1513:
By: Simpson C.S.H.B. No. 1513
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the minimum size of a tract of land used to raise or keep
bees in order for the tract to be eligible for appraisal for ad
valorem tax purposes as qualified open-space land.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 23.51(2), Tax Code, is amended to read as
follows:
(2) "Agricultural use" includes but is not limited to
the following activities: cultivating the soil, producing crops
for human food, animal feed, or planting seed or for the production
of fibers; floriculture, viticulture, and horticulture; raising or
keeping livestock; raising or keeping exotic animals for the
production of human food or of fiber, leather, pelts, or other
tangible products having a commercial value; planting cover crops
or leaving land idle for the purpose of participating in a
governmental program, provided the land is not used for residential
purposes or a purpose inconsistent with agricultural use; and
planting cover crops or leaving land idle in conjunction with
normal crop or livestock rotation procedure. The term also
includes the use of land to produce or harvest logs and posts for
the use in constructing or repairing fences, pens, barns, or other
agricultural improvements on adjacent qualified open-space land
having the same owner and devoted to a different agricultural
use. The term also includes the use of land for wildlife
management. The term also includes the use of land to raise or keep
bees for pollination or for the production of human food or other
tangible products having a commercial value, provided that the land
used is not less than 2 [5] or more than 20 acres.
SECTION 2. This Act applies only to the appraisal of land
for ad valorem tax purposes for a tax year that begins on or after
the effective date of this Act.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect January 1, 2016.