Category Archives: Texas Legislature

December 2, 2022 Weekly Round Up

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Happy December! We are back with a number of updates for you with regard to agricultural law news around the country. *Lesser prairie chicken listed under Endangered Species Act.  On November 17, the US Fish and Wildlife Service issued a press release that it will be listing the lesser prairie chicken as threatened in the northern distinct population segment (including areas in southeastern Colorado, southcentral and western Kansas, western Oklahoma, and the northeastern Texas Panhandle.) and endangered in the southern distinct population segment (including areas in eastern New… Read More →

2021 Year in Review – Texas

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2021 was another big year in the agricultural law world here in Texas.  From key legal decisions to new laws passed during the legislative session, there was no shortage of information to discuss in this year in review.  As you will see, many of the key updates involve actions taken by the Texas Legislature.  To read in more detail about the key bills for agriculture this session, click here to read a blog post and here to listen to a podcast episode with J Pete Laney. Texas Farm… Read More →

2021 Texas Legislative Recap – Key Bills for Agriculture

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As we do after every Texas Legislative Session, we’re here with a recap of the 87th Texas Legislature and the bills impacting agriculture.  As you will see, it was a busy session with a number of ag-related bills being passed.  We have linked each bill below to allow easy access to the full text. Also, as has become tradition, J Pete Laney joined me on the Ag Law in the Field Podcast to discuss these bills and give us his thoughts from someone involved on the ground with… Read More →

Amendments to Texas Farm Animal Liability Act Effective September 1

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The Texas Legislature has passed and Governor Abbott has signed House Bill 365, which will make important changes to the Texas Farm Animal Liability Act (FALA). All farm animal owners should pay careful attention to the changes coming to the FALA, which will modify the scope of application and will also require additional steps be taken by farm animal owners. Background  The Texas Farm Animal Liability Act is a statute offering limited liability to farm animal owners if injuries are caused by an inherent risk to a farm… Read More →

TX House Bill to Modify Farm Animal Liability Act Unanimous Out of Committee

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A bill that would seek to essentially undo a 2020 Texas Supreme Court decision limiting the scope of the Texas Farm Animal Liability Act (FALA) has been unanimously passed out of the House Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee.  For farmers and ranchers, this is an important issue as it relates to their legal protection from liability for injuries caused by horses or livestock. Statutory Background The Texas Equine Act was passed in 1995.  The scope of the statute was amended in 2011 to expand the scope of the… Read More →

March 12, 2021 Weekly Round Up

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Happy Friday!  We’re back with some more of the ag law stories in the news over the past couple of weeks. * Bill would modify Texas Farm Animal Liability Act to ensure applicability to working ranches.  You may remember last year that the Texas Supreme Court issued a ruling in Waak v. Zuniga holding that the Texas Farm Animal Liability Act does not apply if the injured party is a rancher or ranch hand. [Read prior post here.]  There are a couple of bills in the Texas Legislature seeking… Read More →

2019 Texas Legislative Recap – Top 5 Bills for Agriculture

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A couple of weeks ago, I did a podcast with J Pete Laney giving an update of the key bills coming out of the Texas Legislature for agriculture.  The response was great, and several folks asked if I would do a similar blog post.  So, I’ve narrowed the bills J Pete and I discussed to a Top 5 list of bills for agriculture. If you want more detail on any of the bills, be sure to click on each bill number to read the text, and be sure… Read More →

May 31, 2019 Weekly Round Up

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We’ve reached the end of May…I’m not sure how time goes so quickly.  Here are a few ag law stories in the news recently. *Texas judge finds 2015 WOTUS Rule violated Administrative Procedures Act.  A federal judge here in Texas found that the 2015 WOTUS rule violated the Administrative Procedures Act.  Specifically, the judge found that the proposed rule, for which public comment was allowed, differed too greatly from the final rule.  In other words, because there were portions of the final rule that were significantly modified from… Read More →

April 5, 2019 Weekly Round Up

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Happy Friday and Happy April!  It’s been a busy couple of weeks for me, with programs in Ft. Worth at the TSCRA Convention, Ranch Management University in College Station, online for a class at Mississippi State University, and the Lower Plains Crops Conference in Snyder.  Welcome to those of you joining from each of these programs. We’re glad you’re here! Here are some of the ag law stories in the news this week. *Texas Senate passes eminent domain reform bill. Yesterday, the Texas Senate passed SB 421, sponsored… Read More →

Texas Legislative Session Recap

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The 85th Legislative Session has come to a close.  Here is a look at some of the key agriculture-related bills considered in Austin this year.  Given the total number of bills introduced, this is not an exhaustive list of every bill that came up this session, but instead highlights some of the more important and more popular bills related to agriculture.  To look up more information about any of these bills or to search for other bills by number or topic, visit Texas Legislature Online. BILLS THAT PASSED Farm Products/Commodities HB… Read More →