By Lauren Fairbanks and J Pete Laney
TAD Governmental Affairs
The months leading up to a legislative session are typically very busy and this fall is proving to be no different, as legislators, statewide elected officials and government affairs professionals make a final push to prepare for the 140-day session slated to begin Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025.
During the interim period, committees are tasked with reviewing the implementation of legislation passed in the previous session as well considering potential policy changes needed to move Texas forward.
House and Senate committees have been meeting in the last several months to consider their interim charges; those hearings will continue through September and early October before they wrap up testimony and start the work of compiling an interim committee report with recommendations for how to address the issues presented. Reports will be distributed in December.
The House Agriculture & Livestock Committee held its first interim hearing on Tuesday, Aug. 13 focused on the implementation of two bills passed during the last legislative session:
- HB 1750, relating to the applicability of certain city requirements to agricultural operations.
- HB 2308, relating to nuisance actions and other actions against agricultural operations.
These “Right to Farm” bills, supported by the Texas Association of Dairymen, ensure the state’s agriculture operations are protected by providing for limitations on city and county governmental requirements on agricultural operations and related agriculture services. A follow up hearing will be held Sept. 18 to consider any outstanding issues related to “Right to Farm” that were presented in the last hearing.
Campaign season is also ramping up ahead of the November general election. Candidates have been hitting the fundraising circuit to ensure their campaign coffers are replenished ahead of the moratorium that takes effect Dec. 14 and continues through the legislative session and veto period in June 2025.
Half of the state’s senators, and every representative in the Texas House are on the ballot this election cycle. Oct. 7 is the last day to register to vote, and the first day for early voting is Oct. 21, for the Nov. 5 general election. For a quick look at what your ballot will look like when you go to the polls, visit the Texas Tribune’s Voting Guide.
With an historic number of new legislators coming into the Texas Senate and House when the Legislature gavels in in January, we encourage you to take some time this fall to introduce yourself to your hometown elected officials. Your TAD governmental relations team also continues to meet new members and tell the success story of the Texas dairy industry.
Other news from the Capitol:
- State Rep. Mary Gonzalez (D-Clint) was appointed by President Joe Biden to serve on the Board of Directors for the North American Development Bank or NADBank. NADBank is a binational financial organization that invests in water, environmental and energy projects in the United States and Mexico and was established in 1994 as an extension of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Its mission is to “enhance, protect and advance the well-being of the people of the U.S. and Mexico in the border region.”
- House Speaker Dade Phelan appointed Rep. Keith Bell (R-Forney) as the Sunset Commission Chair, filling the vacancy left by Rep. Justin Holland, who will not return to the Legislature in January. Additionally, he appointed Reps. Lacey Hull and Stan Kitzman to serve as Sunset Commission members. Including these new appointments, the following members currently serve on the Sunset Commission: House Members: Reps. Terry Canales, Stan Kitzman, Matt Shaheen; Public Members: Jeff Austin III and Roger Elswick; Senate Members: Sens. Tan Parker (vice chair), César Blanco, Mayes Middleton, Angela Paxton and Kevin Sparks.
- The Texas Water Development Board voted to adopt the 2024 State Flood Plan, providing the first-ever comprehensive statewide assessment of flood risk and solutions to mitigate that risk. The plan incorporates the findings of 15 regional flood plans and includes legislative and floodplain management recommendations to guide state, regional and local flood control policy to reduce the risk and impact of flooding. The plan presents approximately 4,600 solutions – flood management evaluations (studies), flood mitigation projects and flood management strategies – recommended by the regional flood planning groups with a total estimated implementation cost of more than $54.5 billion.
