Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB2970 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R4158 MP-F
2	2	By: Hinojosa of Nueces S.B. No. 2970
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the Texas Farm and Ranch Lands Conservation Program.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Section 84.002(1), Parks and Wildlife Code, is
12	12	amended to read as follows:
13	13	(1) "Agricultural conservation easement" means a
14	14	conservation easement in qualified land that is designed to
15	15	maintain the land's agricultural use potential and accomplish one
16	16	or more of the following additional purposes:
17	17	(A) conserving water quality or quantity;
18	18	(B) conserving native wildlife species through
19	19	protection of their habitat;
20	20	(C) conserving rare or sensitive plant species;
21	21	or
22	22	(D) conserving large tracts of qualified
23	23	open-space land that are threatened with fragmentation or
24	24	development.
25	25	SECTION 2. Section 84.009(a), Parks and Wildlife Code, is
26	26	amended to read as follows:
27	27	(a) The council may:
28	28	(1) adopt rules necessary to perform program duties
29	29	under this chapter;
30	30	(2) request, accept, and use gifts, loans, donations,
31	31	aid, appropriations, guaranties, subsidies, grants, or
32	32	contributions of any item of value for the furtherance of any
33	33	purposes of this chapter;
34	34	(3) establish, charge, and collect fees, charges, and
35	35	penalties in connection with the programs, services, and activities
36	36	provided for by this chapter;
37	37	(4) make, enter into, and enforce contracts and
38	38	agreements, and take other actions as may accomplish any of the
39	39	purposes of this chapter;
40	40	(5) seek ways to coordinate and leverage public and
41	41	private sources of funding;
42	42	(6) adopt best practices and enforcement standards for
43	43	the evaluation of easements purchased through grants from the fund;
44	44	(7) establish a protocol for the purchase of
45	45	agricultural conservation easements and for the distribution of
46	46	funds to approved applicants;
47	47	(8) administer grants awarded to successful
48	48	applicants;
49	49	(9) ensure that agricultural conservation easements
50	50	purchased under this chapter are not inconsistent with:
51	51	(A) the preservation of open space;
52	52	(B) the maintenance of the land's agricultural
53	53	use potential; and
54	54	(C) the conservation of wildlife habitat or
55	55	water; and
56	56	(10) approve the termination of easements and take any
57	57	other action necessary to further the goals of the program.
58	58	SECTION 3. Section 84.010, Parks and Wildlife Code, is
59	59	amended to read as follows:
60	60	Sec. 84.010. CRITERIA FOR AWARDING GRANTS. The council
61	61	shall:
62	62	(1) give priority to applications that protect and
63	63	maintain the agricultural use potential of lands that are
64	64	susceptible to development, including subdivision and
65	65	fragmentation; and
66	66	(2) adopt a scoring process to be used in evaluating
67	67	applications that considers the following:
68	68	(A) maintenance of landscape and watershed
69	69	integrity to conserve water and natural resources;
70	70	(B) protection of habitats for native plant and
71	71	animal species, including habitats for endangered, threatened,
72	72	rare, or sensitive species;
73	73	(C) potential for leveraging state money
74	74	allocated to the program with additional public or private money;
75	75	(D) proximity of the subject property to other
76	76	protected lands;
77	77	(E) the term of the proposed easement, whether
78	78	perpetual or for a term of 30 years;
79	79	(F) the land's agricultural productivity; and
80	80	(G) [(F)] a resource management plan agreed to by
81	81	both parties and approved by the council.
82	82	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.