84R3617 BEF-F
By: Guerra H.B. No. 979
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to a grant program to reduce wait times for agricultural
inspections of vehicles at ports of entry along the Texas-Mexico
border.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Chapter 12, Agriculture Code, is amended by
adding Section 12.050 to read as follows:
Sec. 12.050. BORDER AGRICULTURAL INSPECTION GRANT PROGRAM.
(a) Using money appropriated for this purpose, the department may
make a grant to a nonprofit organization for the purpose of
promoting the agricultural processing industry in this state by
reducing wait times for agricultural inspections of vehicles at
ports of entry along the border with the United Mexican States.
(b) The department shall request proposals for the award of
a grant under this section. The department shall evaluate the
proposals and award a grant based on the proposed program's
quantifiable effectiveness and the potentially positive impact on
the agricultural processing industry in this state.
(c) A grant awarded under this section must be made to an
organization that has demonstrated experience working with border
inspection authorities to reduce border crossing wait times.
(d) A grant recipient may use grant money received under
this section only to pay for activities directly related to the
purpose of the grant program as described by Subsection (a). A grant
recipient may use grant money to reimburse a federal governmental
agency that, at the request of the grant recipient, provides
additional border agricultural inspectors or pays overtime to
border agricultural inspectors at ports of entry along the border
with the United Mexican States.
(e) The department shall establish procedures to administer
the grant program, including a procedure for the submission of a
proposal and a procedure to be used by the department to evaluate a
proposal.
(f) The department shall enter into a contract that includes
performance requirements with each grant recipient. The department
shall monitor and enforce the terms of the contract. The contract
must authorize the department to recoup grant money from a grant
recipient for failure of the grant recipient to comply with the
terms of the contract.
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.