Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas House Bill HB2851 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New	Differences
1	1	By: Burns, et al. (Senate Sponsor - Kolkhorst) H.B. No. 2851
2	2	(In the Senate - Received from the House May 3, 2023;
3	3	May 5, 2023, read first time and referred to Committee on Water,
4	4	Agriculture & Rural Affairs; May 19, 2023, reported favorably by
5	5	the following vote: Yeas 9, Nays 0; May 19, 2023, sent to printer.)
6	6	Click here to see the committee vote
7	7
8	8
9	9	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
10	10	AN ACT
11	11	relating to the composition of the board of directors of the Texas
12	12	Agricultural Finance Authority and grant amounts under the young
13	13	farmer grant program administered by the authority.
14	14	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
15	15	SECTION 1. Section 58.012(a), Agriculture Code, is amended
16	16	to read as follows:
17	17	(a) The authority is governed by a board of directors
18	18	composed of the commissioner of agriculture, a representative of
19	19	the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences [the director of the
20	20	Institute for International Agribusiness Studies] at Prairie View
21	21	A&M University selected by the dean of the college, a
22	22	representative of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
23	23	at Tarleton State University selected by the dean of the college,
24	24	and 10 [nine] members appointed by the commissioner. Members of
25	25	the board must be appointed in the numbers specified and from the
26	26	following categories:
27	27	(1) one person who is an elected or appointed official
28	28	of a municipality or county;
29	29	(2) four persons who are knowledgeable about
30	30	agricultural lending practices;
31	31	(3) one person who is a representative of agricultural
32	32	businesses;
33	33	(4) one person who is a representative of agriculture
34	34	related entities, including rural chambers of commerce,
35	35	foundations, trade associations, institutions of higher education,
36	36	or other entities involved in agricultural matters; [and]
37	37	(5) two persons who represent young farmers and the
38	38	interests of young farmers; and
39	39	(6) one person who is knowledgeable about agricultural
40	40	practices and graduated with an agriculture degree from a state
41	41	institution of higher education within the past eight years.
42	42	SECTION 2. Section 58.093, Agriculture Code, is amended to
43	43	read as follows:
44	44	Sec. 58.093. AMOUNT OF GRANTS. A grant under the young
45	45	farmer grant program may not be less than $5,000 or more than
46	46	$35,000 [$20,000].
47	47	SECTION 3. Section 58.093, Agriculture Code, as amended by
48	48	this Act, applies only to a grant issued on or after the effective
49	49	date of this Act. A grant issued before the effective date of this
50	50	Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the grant is issued,
51	51	and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
52	52	SECTION 4. The changes in law made by this Act in the
53	53	qualifications of appointed members of the board of directors of
54	54	the Texas Agricultural Finance Authority do not affect the
55	55	entitlement of an appointed member serving on the board immediately
56	56	before the effective date of this Act to continue to serve for the
57	57	remainder of the member's term. As the terms of board members
58	58	expire, the commissioner of agriculture shall appoint or reappoint
59	59	a member who has the qualifications required for a member under
60	60	Section 58.012(a), Agriculture Code, as amended by this Act.
61	61	SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.
62	62	* * * * *