Bill Text: TX HB979 | 2015-2016 | 84th Legislature | Comm Sub
Bill Title: Relating to a grant program to reduce wait times for agricultural inspections of vehicles at ports of entry along the Texas-Mexico border.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-05-06 - Laid on the table subject to call [HB979 Detail]
Download: Texas-2015-HB979-Comm_Sub.html
| 84R22448 BEF-D | |||
| By: Guerra, Muñoz, Jr. | H.B. No. 979 | ||
| Substitute the following for H.B. No. 979: | |||
| By: González | C.S.H.B. No. 979 | ||
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| relating to a grant program to reduce wait times for agricultural | ||
| inspections of vehicles at ports of entry along the Texas-Mexico | ||
| border. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Chapter 12, Agriculture Code, is amended by | ||
| adding Section 12.050 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 12.050. TRADE AGRICULTURAL INSPECTION GRANT PROGRAM. | ||
| (a) Using money appropriated for this purpose or money received | ||
| under Subsection (g), the department may make a grant to a nonprofit | ||
| organization for the purpose of promoting the agricultural | ||
| processing industry in this state by reducing wait times for | ||
| agricultural inspections of vehicles at ports of entry along the | ||
| border with the United Mexican States. | ||
| (b) The department shall request proposals for the award of | ||
| a grant under this section. The department shall evaluate the | ||
| proposals and award a grant based on the proposed program's | ||
| quantifiable effectiveness and the potentially positive impact on | ||
| the agricultural processing industry in this state. | ||
| (c) A grant awarded under this section must be made to an | ||
| organization that has demonstrated experience working with border | ||
| inspection authorities to reduce border crossing wait times. | ||
| (d) A grant recipient may use grant money received under | ||
| this section only to pay for activities directly related to the | ||
| purpose of the grant program as described by Subsection (a). A grant | ||
| recipient may use grant money to reimburse a federal governmental | ||
| agency that, at the request of the grant recipient, provides | ||
| additional border agricultural inspectors or pays overtime to | ||
| border agricultural inspectors at ports of entry along the border | ||
| with the United Mexican States. | ||
| (e) The department shall establish procedures to administer | ||
| the grant program, including a procedure for the submission of a | ||
| proposal and a procedure to be used by the department to evaluate a | ||
| proposal. | ||
| (f) The department shall enter into a contract that includes | ||
| performance requirements with each grant recipient. The department | ||
| shall monitor and enforce the terms of the contract. The contract | ||
| must authorize the department to recoup grant money from a grant | ||
| recipient for failure of the grant recipient to comply with the | ||
| terms of the contract. | ||
| (g) The department may solicit and accept gifts, grants, and | ||
| donations from any source for the purpose of awarding grants under | ||
| this section. | ||
| (h) To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, a | ||
| nonprofit organization must provide matching funds. The amount of | ||
| the grant may not exceed the amount of matching funds. The | ||
| department may not require a nonprofit organization to provide | ||
| matching funds in an amount that exceeds the amount of the grant. | ||
| (i) The department may adopt any rules necessary to | ||
| implement this section. | ||
| SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015. | ||
