***CAPITOL UPDATE***
Good Session for Agriculture
While the state continues to grow by leaps and bounds, I feel it is imperative that we remember our roots, and that is our agriculture industry. During my first session in the Texas Senate, one of my primary goals has been to continue the fight for agriculture, not just in East Texas, but for the entire state. I was honored to serve as Vice-Chairman of the Rural Caucus of the Texas Legislature, and I'm proud to say we were successful in protecting agricultural interests.
Because of legislation passed:
- Landowners will now be paid for the value of groundwater rights - cities must meet several new requirements before condemning water rights. Until this law changed, a city had only to condemn the land and pay the market value of the land. Now the value of the water beneath the land must be considered.
- Landowners may now take feral hogs that destroy property without having to purchase a hunting license.
- While there was nearly an $11 billion dollar budget shortfall this session, we were successful in protecting agricultural exemptions and valuations in sales and property taxes. This saved farmers and ranchers millions in taxes.
Although we have completed our legislative work for the moment, the issue of school finance is still on the horizon. I look forward to receiving you input on this important issue, as it will have a major effect on our tax system and structure.
To contact Sen. Deuell about the legislative process, contact the Capitol Office at (512) 463-0556 or mail to Sen. Bob Deuell, Texas Senate, P.O. Box 12068, Austin, TX 78711. The website for the Texas Senate is www.Senate.state.tx.us. The e-mail address for Sen. Deuell is: bob.deuell@senate.state.tx.us.