By: Lucio S.B. No. 797
(In the Senate - Filed February 26, 2015; March 2, 2015,
read first time and referred to Committee on Agriculture, Water,
and Rural Affairs; April 14, 2015, rereferred to Committee on
Intergovernmental Relations; April 29, 2015, reported adversely,
with favorable Committee Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 7,
Nays 0; April 29, 2015, sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 797 By: Lucio
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. TRADE AGRICULTURAL INSPECTION GRANT PROGRAM.
(a) Using money appropriated for this purpose or money received
under Subsection (g), 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.
(g) The department may solicit and accept gifts, grants, and
donations from any source for the purpose of awarding grants under
this section.
(h) To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, a
nonprofit organization must provide matching funds. The amount of
the grant may not exceed the amount of matching funds. The
department may not require a nonprofit organization to provide
matching funds in an amount that exceeds the amount of the grant.
(i) The department may adopt any rules necessary to
implement this section.
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.
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