86R11095 SRA-D
By: Kolkhorst S.B. No. 949
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the game animal meat safety task force.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. GAME ANIMAL MEAT SAFETY TASK FORCE. (a) In this
section, "task force" means the game animal meat safety task force.
(b) The task force is composed of the following nine
members:
(1) the chair of the House Public Health Committee or
its successor;
(2) the chair of the Senate Health and Human Services
Committee or its successor;
(3) the chairs of the committees of the house and
senate with primary jurisdiction over parks and wildlife;
(4) the chairs of the committees of the house and
senate with primary jurisdiction over agriculture; and
(5) three members of the public who have demonstrated
sufficient knowledge of game animal meat safety, appointed as
follows:
(A) one member appointed by the governor;
(B) one member appointed by the lieutenant
governor; and
(C) one member appointed by the speaker of the
house of representatives.
(c) The chairs of the house and senate committees with
primary jurisdiction over agriculture shall serve as co-presiding
officers of the task force.
(d) The task force shall:
(1) study and examine trends in the commercially
raised game meat industry in this state, including the regulations
of and protections required for game meat, and the differences in
the inspection of game meats compared to the inspection of
traditional meats, including beef, pork, and poultry; and
(2) develop a short-term and a long-term commercially
raised game animal food safety plan to strengthen protections for
commercially raised native and nonnative wildlife game animals.
(e) A task force member is not entitled to compensation for
the services provided as a task force member. Subject to the
availability of funds, a task force member is entitled to
reimbursement for the member's actual and necessary expenses
incurred in performing task force duties.
(f) The task force shall meet at the call of one of the
co-presiding officers and may hold additional meetings as necessary
by telephone conference call, videoconference, or other similar
telecommunication method.
(g) The task force shall hold at least three public hearings
in locations selected by the task force to provide interested
persons an opportunity to appear and speak on any subject relating
to the powers and duties of the task force.
(h) Not later than December 1, 2020, the task force must
submit the short-term and the long-term commercially raised game
animal food safety plan to the governor, lieutenant governor, and
speaker of the house of representatives.
(i) The task force is abolished and this Act expires January
1, 2021.
(j) Not later than December 1, 2019, the governor, the
lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the house of
representatives shall appoint the members of the task force created
under this section.
SECTION 2. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect
immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members
elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas
Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for
immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2019.