Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB2018 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	89R23077 MP-F
2		-	By: Ashby, Flores, et al. H.B. No. 2018
3		-	Substitute the following for H.B. No. 2018:
4		-	By: Metcalf C.S.H.B. No. 2018
	1	+	89R4158 MP-F
	2	+	By: Ashby H.B. No. 2018
5	3
6	4
7	5
8	6
9	7		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
10	8		AN ACT
11	9		relating to the Texas Farm and Ranch Lands Conservation Program.
12	10		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
13	11		SECTION 1. Section 84.002(1), Parks and Wildlife Code, is
14	12		amended to read as follows:
15	13		(1) "Agricultural conservation easement" means a
16	14		conservation easement in qualified land that is designed to
17		-	maintain the land's agricultural ~~or timber productivity~~ and
18		-	~~accomplish one~~ or more of the following additional purposes:
	15	+	maintain the land's agricultural use potential and accomplish one
	16	+	or more of the following additional purposes:
19	17		(A) conserving water quality or quantity;
20	18		(B) conserving native wildlife species through
21	19		protection of their habitat;
22	20		(C) conserving rare or sensitive plant species;
23	21		or
24	22		(D) conserving large tracts of qualified
25	23		open-space land that are threatened with fragmentation or
26	24		development.
27	25		SECTION 2. Section 84.009(a), Parks and Wildlife Code, is
28	26		amended to read as follows:
29	27		(a) The council may:
30	28		(1) adopt rules necessary to perform program duties
31	29		under this chapter;
32	30		(2) request, accept, and use gifts, loans, donations,
33	31		aid, appropriations, guaranties, subsidies, grants, or
34	32		contributions of any item of value for the furtherance of any
35	33		purposes of this chapter;
36	34		(3) establish, charge, and collect fees, charges, and
37	35		penalties in connection with the programs, services, and activities
38	36		provided for by this chapter;
39	37		(4) make, enter into, and enforce contracts and
40	38		agreements, and take other actions as may accomplish any of the
41	39		purposes of this chapter;
42	40		(5) seek ways to coordinate and leverage public and
43	41		private sources of funding;
44	42		(6) adopt best practices and enforcement standards for
45	43		the evaluation of easements purchased through grants from the fund;
46	44		(7) establish a protocol for the purchase of
47	45		agricultural conservation easements and for the distribution of
48	46		funds to approved applicants;
49	47		(8) administer grants awarded to successful
50	48		applicants;
51	49		(9) ensure that agricultural conservation easements
52	50		purchased under this chapter are not inconsistent with:
53	51		(A) the preservation of open space;
54		-	(B) the maintenance of the land's agricultural or
55		-	~~timber productivity~~; and
	52	+	(B) the maintenance of the land's agricultural
	53	+	use potential; and
56	54		(C) the conservation of wildlife habitat or
57	55		water; and
58	56		(10) approve the termination of easements and take any
59	57		other action necessary to further the goals of the program.
60	58		SECTION 3. Section 84.010, Parks and Wildlife Code, is
61	59		amended to read as follows:
62	60		Sec. 84.010. CRITERIA FOR AWARDING GRANTS. The council
63	61		shall:
64	62		(1) give priority to applications that protect and
65		-	maintain the agricultural ~~or timber productivity~~ of lands that are
	63	+	maintain the agricultural use potential of lands that are
66	64		susceptible to development, including subdivision and
67	65		fragmentation; and
68	66		(2) adopt a scoring process to be used in evaluating
69	67		applications that considers the following:
70	68		(A) maintenance of landscape and watershed
71	69		integrity to conserve water and natural resources;
72	70		(B) protection of habitats for native plant and
73	71		animal species, including habitats for endangered, threatened,
74	72		rare, or sensitive species;
75	73		(C) potential for leveraging state money
76	74		allocated to the program with additional public or private money;
77	75		(D) proximity of the subject property to other
78	76		protected lands;
79	77		(E) the term of the proposed easement, whether
80	78		perpetual or for a term of 30 years;
81		-	(F) the land's agricultural or timber
82		-	productivity; and
	79	+	(F) the land's agricultural productivity; and
83	80		(G) [(F)] a resource management plan agreed to by
84	81		both parties and approved by the council.
85	82		SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.