Bill Text: TX HB147 | 2023 | 88th Legislature 3rd Special Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the establishment of an agriculture disaster relief grant program; making an appropriation.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-10-12 - Filed [HB147 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-HB147-Introduced.html
| 88S30144 KBB-D | ||
| By: Tepper | H.B. No. 147 | |
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| relating to the establishment of an agriculture disaster relief | ||
| grant program; making an appropriation. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Title 2, Agriculture Code, is amended by adding | ||
| Chapter 22 to read as follows: | ||
| CHAPTER 22. AGRICULTURE DISASTER RELIEF GRANT PROGRAM | ||
| Sec. 22.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter: | ||
| (1) "Category D2 drought" means a severe drought as | ||
| defined by the United States Drought Monitor. | ||
| (2) "Category D3 drought" means an extreme drought as | ||
| defined by the United States Drought Monitor. | ||
| (3) "Program" means the agriculture disaster relief | ||
| grant program established by this chapter. | ||
| Sec. 22.002. ESTABLISHMENT OF GRANT PROGRAM. (a) The | ||
| department shall establish the agriculture disaster relief grant | ||
| program to provide block grant disaster relief funding to | ||
| applicants for necessary expenses related to losses of revenue by | ||
| cotton infrastructure as a consequence of natural disasters | ||
| involving drought for the 2022 or 2023 crop year. | ||
| (b) The department shall adopt rules to implement and | ||
| administer the program. | ||
| Sec. 22.003. GRANT PROGRAM FUND. (a) The agriculture | ||
| disaster relief grant program fund is an account in the general | ||
| revenue fund. The fund is composed of: | ||
| (1) money appropriated to the department for deposit | ||
| to the credit of the fund; | ||
| (2) money transferred by the department to the credit | ||
| of the fund from other sources available to the department; and | ||
| (3) gifts, grants, and donations made to the | ||
| department for the purpose of the fund. | ||
| (b) The fund may be used only by the department to award | ||
| grants under the program. | ||
| Sec. 22.004. ELIGIBILITY FOR GRANT PROGRAM. (a) To be | ||
| eligible to receive a grant under the program, an applicant must | ||
| meet the eligibility requirements established by department rule | ||
| and show that: | ||
| (1) the grant will be used to support agricultural | ||
| supply chain resiliency; | ||
| (2) the land for which the grant will be used is | ||
| located in a county identified by the United States Drought Monitor | ||
| as having a Category D2 drought for eight consecutive weeks or a | ||
| Category D3 drought at any point during the 2022 or 2023 calendar | ||
| year; and | ||
| (3) the applicant experienced a decline of at least 30 | ||
| percent in gross receipts or gross revenue in the 2022 or 2023 | ||
| calendar year as compared to the previous calendar year. | ||
| (b) Grants under the program may not exceed $500,000 per | ||
| applicant. | ||
| Sec. 22.005. EXPIRATION OF GRANT PROGRAM. This chapter | ||
| expires September 1, 2025. | ||
| SECTION 2. As soon as practicable after the effective date | ||
| of this Act, the Department of Agriculture shall adopt rules and | ||
| procedures required to implement and administer Chapter 22, | ||
| Agriculture Code, as added by this Act. | ||
| SECTION 3. (a) Section 8.73, Chapter 458 (S.B. 30), Acts of | ||
| the 88th Legislature, Regular Session, 2023 (the Supplemental | ||
| Appropriations Act), is repealed. | ||
| (b) Notwithstanding Subsection (a) of this section, the | ||
| Department of Agriculture may expend amounts appropriated by former | ||
| Section 8.73, Chapter 458 (S.B. 30), Acts of the 88th Legislature, | ||
| Regular Session, 2023 (the Supplemental Appropriations Act), for a | ||
| purpose provided by the former law if the amounts were obligated for | ||
| that purpose before the effective date of this Act. | ||
| SECTION 4. (a) All unobligated and unexpended balances | ||
| remaining as of the effective date of this Act from appropriations | ||
| made by former Section 8.73, Chapter 458 (S.B. 30), Acts of the 88th | ||
| Legislature, Regular Session, 2023 (the Supplemental | ||
| Appropriations Act), are appropriated from the same source to the | ||
| Department of Agriculture for the two-year period beginning on the | ||
| effective date of this Act for the purpose of providing grants under | ||
| Chapter 22, Agriculture Code, as added by this Act. | ||
| (b) The comptroller of public accounts shall deposit the | ||
| amount appropriated by Subsection (a) of this section to the credit | ||
| of the agriculture disaster relief grant program fund created by | ||
| Section 22.003, Agriculture Code, as added by this Act. | ||
| SECTION 5. This Act takes effect on the 91st day after the | ||
| last day of the legislative session. | ||
