Tuesday, May 12, 2009

TDA’s Sunset Bill moves forward, minus key economic development tool

The Texas Department of Agriculture’s Sunset Bill, Senate Bill 1016, was favorably approved in the House Committee on Agriculture and Livestock. This legislation will give TDA critically needed tools to continue serving the people of Texas.

One notable provision stripped from the senate version of the bill is the Texas Rural Investment Fund (TRIF). TRIF was designed in response to needs identified by Texas economic development professionals, in conjunction with our internal review and Sunset process, to ensure TDA had the additional tools necessary to promote job growth and capital investment in rural Texas. Economic development professionals from around Texas testified in support of this critical tool.

Senate Bill 1016, without this key provision to promote job growth, will be sent to the Committee on Calendars where it should be scheduled for a floor vote soon.

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