Help Your Fellow Texans

High winds and hot temperatures have fueled 183 fires across the state in the past seven days, displacing more than 100 Texas families and scorching more than 400,000 acres. Since January, nearly 1 million acres have burned across the Lone Star State, according to the Texas Forest Service.

These raging wildfires are catastrophic in nature, destroying homes, killing livestock and devastating the livelihoods of farmers and ranchers who dedicate their lives to supplying us with food, clothing and other essential daily needs. As these fires sweep through rural Texas, fences are dismantled and cattle and other livestock are left to roam. Today, I saw that devastation firsthand through an aerial and ground tour of the area.

And now I’m asking all Texans to help me help our fellow Texans by making a donation to the State of Texas Agriculture Relief Fund, or STAR Fund. I created this fund to collect monetary contributions from private individuals and entities to assist farmers and ranchers in responding to and recovering from an emergency. The STAR Fund may be used to rebuild fences, restore operations and pay for other agricultural relief efforts.

We are Texans, and when disaster strikes, our citizens rise to meet the challenge. I ask all Texans who have the means to assist their neighbors in need to please come forward and show their support. To make a monetary donation to the STAR Fund, visit www.TexasAgriculture.gov and click on STAR Fund under Most Popular Links.

Eminent Domain Takes Priority as Legislature Convenes

Today, Gov. Perry issued a proclamation placing eminent domain as an emergency agenda item for this session of the legislature. This means both chambers can take quick action on this critical matter early in the process.

This is a solid step forward in a long-fought battle to provide private property owners the protections they need from abusive use of eminent domain. We can all agree that roads must be built, pipelines must be laid and wastewater plants must be constructed.

What we can’t lose sight of is the fact that the rights of private property owners are guaranteed by both the Texas Constitution and the U.S. Constitution, and must be considered at the front end of growth and not as an afterthought. SB 18 by Sen. Craig Estes and HB 279 by Rep. Charlie Geren are two good examples of eminent domain reform legislation that needs to be passed and signed into law.

By passing Proposition 11 in 2009, Texas voters told lawmakers that our state needs to do more to protect the rights of private property owners. For years, I've promoted measures that would level the playing field for landowners by requiring condemning entities to be more open in the negotiation process, creating a standard for estimating the true harm to landowners and ensuring acquisitions occur for a real and direct public purpose.

Key components of eminent domain reform are:

• Ensuring condemning entities negotiate with property owners in good faith and present a bona fide offer;
• Requiring entities utilizing eminent domain to provide landowners just compensation for injuries, including diminished access;
• Providing a buy-back provision so property owners may purchase condemned land if it is not used for the named public purpose within 10 years of the taking; and
• Clarifying, in statute, the definition of “public use” to ensure eminent domain authority is only exercised for the public good and not for economic development projects or enhancing tax revenues.

I am glad to see this issue will be a priority for the 82nd Legislature and look forward to working with Gov. Perry and the Legislature to ensure the rights of farmers, ranchers and property owners across Texas are protected.

Climate Change Summit

This morning I joined Gov. Perry and commissioners from the Texas Public Utility Commission, Railroad Commission and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for a climate change summit.

Right now it is critical for us to take a stand. The current administration and some in Congress are pushing an environmental agenda that threatens the very livelihood of Texas farmers and ranchers. We must navigate this debate with a balanced approach enlightened by the reality that a clean environment and a strong economy can co-exist, and likely can benefit from one another. You can hear a small portion of my speech by clicking here or read the full text below.

Thank you, Gov. Perry for your leadership on this issue. I want to also say thank you to commissioners from the Texas Public Utility Commission, Railroad Commission and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Texas Commission for Environmental Quality for holding this climate change summit today.

The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (HR 2454) has been rightly called the Cap & Trade bill because if passed it will most assuredly cap economic activity, cap productivity and trade American jobs overseas.

In fact, it could have many names: it could be the
Pay More to Heat Your Home bill,
Pay More for the Food You Eat bill, or
Pay More for the Clothes You Wear bill.

At a time when Washington debates solutions for those without access to affordable healthcare in America, it contemplates this legislation, which will - if passed - add to the rolls of the uninsured.

How so? HR 2454 will add a new layer of uncertainty into the market place. It will, by the proponents’ own admission, increase the cost of energy and will be punitive not just to Texans, but to all Americans.

Uncertainty, volatility and lack of predictability freeze investment. In short, it costs jobs.

Cost of implementation of this legislation is all over the map. The most conservative estimates are from the bill sponsors, who say it will cost American families less than a postage stamp per day.

When did our country become so consumed with change that we have allowed our debate on policy to move from if it will cost, to who is right on how much it will cost?

Does anyone but me find it ironic they chose a postage stamp for a cost analogy? A stamp whose price tag has increased 144% since I graduated from high school in 1981. And, more importantly, the very future of our postal system is in doubt today.

American agriculture produces the safest, most affordable, most reliable food supply in the world.

HR 2454 threatens the ability for continued domestic food production.

The proponents’ own analysis says that total farm expenses could increase by $700 million each year. This is a far cry from the American Farm Bureau economists’ predictions that the bill will cost U.S. farmers approximately $5 billion in farm income each year by 2020, increasing to $13 billion annually by 2030.

They are not alone. The Pennsylvania Farm Bureau says the economics don’t add up for agriculture. They say this is akin to playing Russian roulette on energy issues. They say we are forfeiting America’s competitiveness.

I am proud of the fact that in Texas, agriculture contributes almost 9.5 percent of our GSP. Texas leads the nation in the production of cattle, cotton, sheep and goats, and is among the leading states in the production of citrus, vegetables, poultry products, sorghum, wheat and rice.

USDA claims agriculture can see net benefits in the long-term. Do you want me to tell you how they define long term? 2048! What will the price of a postage stamp be then?

Consumers might ask: How many farmers will even survive to the middle of this century?

The recently completed U.S. Census of Agriculture says the average age of the U.S. farmer has risen to age 57. Alarmingly, the number of farmers under age 25 has decreased by 30 percent since 2002.

The biggest factors blocking access to young people entering production agriculture are volatility and increased costs. Volatility and increased costs are the only two certain elements with this proposed climate change legislation.

Americans do not like being dependent on foreign oil. We cannot, and we must not, become dependent on foreign food.

From the House Committee on Energy and Commerce's Web site, the bill sponsors and advocates:

“Because of its balanced approach, the American Clean Energy and Security Act has received broad support from industry and environmentalists. Passage of the bill in the House was supported by electric utilities, oil companies, car companies, chemical companies, major manufacturers, environmental organizations, efficiency advocates, agricultural interests, labor organizations, and representatives of the faith community, among many others.”

I am a person of faith, and I’ll tell you what I believe: These guys just don’t get it.


An article from an American Farm Bureau publication points out, “Climate change supporters claim there will be droughts, floods, fire, loss of species, damage to agriculture, worsening air pollution and more, if the Senate does not pass the Climate Change bill.”


To draw from a recent Walter Williams article, “Are these the same people that in 1968 predicted there would be a major food shortage in the U.S., and in the 1970s, hundreds of millions of people are going to starve to death.

“Or, in 1972, warned the world would run out of gold by 1981, mercury and silver by 1985, tin by 1987 and petroleum, copper, lead and natural gas by 1992.”

Either they are wrong or Texans are wrong. And we know Texans aren’t wrong. Here is how we know; it is supported by the facts. Let me tell you about the Texas experience.

In the last two years, if Texas were its own country, Texas had the highest GDP per person compared to the world’s largest economies. In a direct comparison of Texas with the U.S., U.K., Canada and France, Texas tops the charts at No. 1 in productivity per person.

Let me be perfectly clear: We must practice environmental stewardship. Agriculturalists are the original environmental stewards. Farmers know better than anyone you must take care of the land for it to take care of you.

In the words of our 34th President Dwight Eisenhower, “Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil, and you’re a thousand miles from the corn field.”
Maybe Congress should continue this debate in the cornfields of America.

Texas is Making Preparations for the H1N1 Flu

Monday, I joined Gov. Perry and other state leaders in San Antonio for a press conference announcing the state’s preparedness plans for the anticipated H1N1 flu season. With most students going back to school this week, it is critical we are prepared for such a public health emergency.


More than 2 million Texas children rely on the school lunch program for their most important meal of the day. If schools are forced to close due to a serious health threat, many of these kids simply have nowhere else to turn and end up going without a meal. Earlier this year, when some school districts closed because of the H1N1 flu outbreak, 500,000 students were left without access to the meals normally provided by the school lunch program.

That’s why I contacted U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack asking him for a change in federal policy that would allow schools to be reimbursed for meals served during an H1N1 closure. We have received that change and are now working with Texas schools to develop plans for the continuation of meal service in non-congregate settings to ensure students are protected from illnesses. Here’s a video link to the press conference outlining our plans.

Special session should include eminent domain reform

Governor Perry has confirmed a need for a special session of the Texas Legislature to address unfinished business. There are five agencies that were not reauthorized and will expire if the legislature does not take action, including the Texas Department of Insurance and the Texas Department of Transportation.

While you could probably count on one hand the people who really want to see the legislature back in session, even among our representatives and senators, this is welcomed news for millions of Texans who are gravely concerned about the rights of property owners.

With a special session, the governor chooses what is on the “call” or agenda for the designated 30-day period. With the dangerous erosion of private property owners’ rights over the years, reforming our eminent domain laws must be added to the vital to-do list.

There was progress during the legislative session with the passage of HJR 14, a constitutional amendment that will be on the ballot this November. It will provide much-needed protection to ensure when government exercises condemnation power, it’s for a clear public purpose. This is a necessary bill, which was signed by the governor today, and I commend Governor Perry for his efforts in bringing the needs of private property owners' rights to the forefront. HJR 14 is critical, but greater steps are necessary to protect landowners.

The good news is most of the hard work to correct these deficiencies has already been done. Senate Bill 18, authored by Senator Craig Estes, had already passed the full Senate and a House committee, and was set for a vote on the Major State Calendar in the House when the clock ran out. This proposal had strong bi-partisan support in both chambers and was strongly backed by many trade organizations throughout the state.

Action by our state officials to pass this bill and protect our state’s property owners is essential. I have officially written Governor Perry a letter to ask him to add eminent domain reform to the call.

Livestock theft penalties to be increased in Texas

Critically needed legislation (Senate Bill 1163, authored by Sen. Kel Seliger) to protect the largest cattle, horse, sheep and goat-producing state in the nation has passed both chambers of the legislature and is headed to Governor Perry's desk.

Stealing livestock and fowl undermines the livelihood of Texas ranchers and farmers, and enhancing the penalty for theft should help protect the families whose businesses are so important to our state's economy. This is yet another reminder – Don’t Mess with Texas.

The Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association was an early and strong advocate for the legislation. Click here to access a link to the TSCRA press release on the bill's passage.