| Vote Recommendation | Economic Freedom | Property Rights | Personal Responsibility | Limited Government | Individual Liberty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral |
Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for SB 705, As Introduced : a positive impact of $261,022 through the biennium ending August 31, 2023. The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of the bill.
SB 705 extends the sunset for the Texas Animal Health commission for 12 years. The bill requires the executive director of the commission to ensure members understand the laws governing the operation of the commission and allows a committee member to be removed if an illness or disability impairs them from doing their job.
SB 705 gives the committee more discretion on identifying animal diseases and creating rules to stop the spread of animal diseases.
The bill designates the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Lab as the state's regulatory animal health lab and establishes rules in regards to this change. This designation does not prevent the commission from using a lab other than Texas A&M for a needed test.
The bill requires treatment of livestock for diseases identified by the commission and regulates rules surrounding the treatment process. The bill would require TAHC to adopt rules listing diseases that the commission determines would require mandatory reporting and remove the automatic expiration requirements of commission rules pertaining to reportable diseases. TAHC would also be allowed to delegate its quarantine powers to the executive director who would notify commission members upon establishment of a quarantine.
Finally, SB 705 would repeal a section of statute which prohibits advisory committee members from receiving compensation.