Dear Friend,
Texas has a number of important bills in play this legislative session but we need your help. Please call your Texas State Representative to co-author HB 92, HB 276, HB 2945 and SB 691.
HB 92 and HB 276 are similar bills that would protect single family property lots from local regulation that would prohibit growing vegetables and fruits on single-family lots, and would protect homeowners’/dwellers’ ability to raise a certain number of fowl/rabbits on single-family lots as well. HB 276 adds protection of the right to have solar panels, collect rainwater, and have a backup generator. The State Senate efforts on this are going well, but we need State Representatives to co-author and support the bills.
In addition, to help provide consumers with access to locally produced meat, SB 691 would permit individuals to purchase shares in an animal in any quantity, making the availability of the custom slaughter facilities more accessible. Purchasing a share in a live animal and then having the animal slaughtered and processed at a custom processing facility is permitted under the Federal Meat Inspection Act. Contact your State Representative and encourage him/her to co-author this important bill. Doing so could go a long way in assuring passage of this bill.
Last, SB 481/HB 2945 would permit farmers to sell ungraded eggs to restaurants and retailers as consumers. The bill would also decrease requirements for those who choose to have eggs graded, down from monthly reports to an annual report. FTCLDF friend and ally Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance reports that a FOIA request revealed that there has not been a single suspected foodborne illness linked to ungraded eggs in the last 20 years! FTCLDF often hears that restaurants wish to purchase eggs from local farms and this bill would help.
Please contact your State Representative regarding each of these important bills and tell him/her how each bill would benefit you.
Find your State Representative HERE
For more information, we encourage you to visit:
farmandranchfreedom.org/local-food-bills-in-the-texas-legislature
See action steps below and share this alert with your friends and family in Texas.
In good health,
Alexia Kulwiec
Executive Director
