Texas chicken owners - we need your help!

[digsindirt]

There are two bills in the 2019 legislature supporting backyard chickens (up to 6) which will supersede city laws and future HOAs/PAs (but not existing HOAs).

Senate bill SB86
House bill HB2596

The Senate bill was voted 4-1 out of committee today and will go to the calendar committee to be voted on by the full Senate. The House Bill is pending in committee.

Please, please, please contact your elected officials and ask them to support these bills.

Liz

Here are some helpful links:

Texas Legislature website
https://capitol.texas.gov/Home.aspx

Info on House Bill
https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=86R&Bill=HB2596

Info on Senate bill
https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=86R&Bill=SB86

Find your official
https://wrm.capitol.texas.gov/home

Video of today’s (4/1) Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Relations (bill discussion starts around the 0:50:00 mark)
http://tlcsenate.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=45&clip_id=14080

The legislative processes in Texas
https://tlc.texas.gov/docs/legref/legislativeprocess.pdf#page=6


Edited post with correct SB number (86).

 

[digsindirt]

So both bills have been passed out of committee with “favorable” reports. We are waiting for each bill to get on its respective calendar for votes.

And GilligansGirls, I know! But as it was explained, existing deed restrictions are a private contact between the HOA and the homeowner. The state has no jurisdiction over those. The state can, however, limit new HOAs.

 

[GilligansGirls]

Why can’t they just make it across the board and include existing HOA’s? That’s like saying “new cities only”!

 

[BYCforlife]

Good luck! I live thousands of miles away, but I'll still support you!

 

[Celticdragonfly]

Right, contacting my senator and rep.

This isn't going to *reduce* flock size to 6 in places that could already have more, is it?

 

[Celticdragonfly]

When will we know if this goes through or not?

 

[TK421]

I did some digging. State Senator Bob Hall introduced SB86 in the 2019 session. It actually did REALLY well. It was introduced, passed committee and passed 29-2 in the full Senate. It was championed in the house by State Rep. James White and passed out of committee in the House and stalled there.

SB 86: https://legiscan.com/TX/text/SB86/2019
HB 2596: https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/86R/billtext/html/HB02596I.htm

The first step would be to contact Senator Hall (Edgewood, East of Dallas) and Rep. White (Houston) and ask them to introduce the bills again). Hall is up for re-election in 2022 and White is up for re-election this November.

 

[Bamabexchicks]

There are two bills in the 2019 legislature supporting backyard chickens (up to 6) which will supersede city laws and future HOAs/PAs (but not existing HOAs).

Senate bill SB86
House bill HB2596

The Senate bill was voted 4-1 out of committee today and will go to the calendar committee to be voted on by the full Senate. The House Bill is pending in committee.

Please, please, please contact your elected officials and ask them to support these bills.

Liz

Here are some helpful links:

Texas Legislature website
https://capitol.texas.gov/Home.aspx

Info on House Bill
https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=86R&Bill=HB2596

Info on Senate bill
https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=86R&Bill=SB86

Find your official
https://wrm.capitol.texas.gov/home

Video of today’s (4/1) Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Relations (bill discussion starts around the 0:50:00 mark)
http://tlcsenate.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=45&clip_id=14080

The legislative processes in Texas
https://tlc.texas.gov/docs/legref/legislativeprocess.pdf#page=6


Edited post with correct SB number (86).

@007Sean

 

[Celticdragonfly]

So today I called the office of my state senator, was redirected to her capital phone number, and spent some time chatting with a staffer. He said that the session had ended - and the next one doesn't start until 2021! Oy. He said possibly if it was running out of time they might have tacked it onto another bill as an amendment, that can happen to get things through, otherwise it would have gone away with the end of the session and would need to get set up again next time. He said the senator for district 2, Bob Hall, is the one who had originated it. I wrote an email to him, asking if it had gone through as an amendment, and if not, urging him to reintroduce it at the beginning of the next session - apparently you can start putting them in during Nov. 2020. And I thanked him for writing it.
https://senate.texas.gov/member.php?d=2 here's his page, if you would also like to write to him there's a form for it.

 

[TK421]

The new session starts this January and now is the time to build support for small bills like this. Is anyone interested in a little mini campaign to encourage bill reintroduction? If we wait until January, they’ll be too focused on budget appropriations and covid response. I’m willing to help make phone calls