Texas

[Kiki]

We Need the help of all Texans to call their Senator and ask for their support of the HB 1686. See below for info on the bill and how to contact your Senator. Please help those of us who are fighting their HOA and City Municipalities.

HB 1686, the Home Food Security Act, has passed the Texas House by a vote of 143-1! Now the Senate must pass the bill for it to be sent to the Governor to become law!

HB 1686 says that municipalities and HOA’s can’t prohibit you from having up to 6 laying hens, 6 rabbits, (with no more than a total of 8 ) or a front yard garden. It also says that HOA’s can’t prohibit your cottage food operation. Reasonable regulations for noise and odor control are part of this bill – and no roosters.

We all saw the breakdowns in the food supply chain this past year. COVID. Meat-packing plants shut down. The Great Freeze in February with empty grocery shelves and lines out the doors. We can increase our food security if we can produce food for our families on land that we already own.
CALL:
Find out who your Texas State Senator is by entering your address at this link:
https://wrm.capitol.texas.gov/home
Click on the name that is “Texas Senate District XX”. Their phone number starts with 512-463-XXXX.
OR you can just call the Capitol Switchboard at 512-463-4630 and give the operator your address and ask to be connected to your Senator.
(Don’t call Ted Cruz or John Cornyn, they are our US Senators and can’t help with this!)
Call that number above, and when the staff person answers the phone, say: “Hi, my name is _____ and I am a constituent. I am c
alling to ask Senator ____ to vote YES on HB 1686. It has already passed the House.

You can add a sentence or two about why the bill is important to you: be concise. This is the busiest time of session, so shorter is better!

Read the bill (click the Text tab, choose House Committee Report):
https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx…

 

[Pepper2020]

All,

This is also posted in the Texas section.

The HB 1686 and SB 1062 are close to getting done. The Texas House passed the HB 1686, SB 1062 was heard in committee this week. Currently, it is up to Senator Bettencourt to press this bill through his committee. It is vital to the success of the bill that everyone reach out to Senator Bettencourt's office and voice your support for this piece of legislation.

His office number is: (512) 463-0107

The link to his webpage is: https://capitol.texas.gov/Members/MemberInfo.aspx?Leg=87&Chamber=S&Code=A1055

Please reach out to him and let him know that the bill is important to you, the more people that call the more impact we can have.

Thank you!

 

[Kiki]

@Som
Please post your duck pics here...in our state thread too.

 

[ChickenRoper1]

Friends, the Home Food Security Act, aka the “Chicken Bill” is in serious trouble, and may die or be gutted in the Senate - even though it has passed the House with a vote of 143-1! We need your calls this week to our Lieutenant Governor, Dan Patrick to ask him to move this crucial legislation out of committee. Call 512-463-5342 and ask Lt. Gov. Patrick to help move HB 1686 to the full Senate floor for a vote.
HB 1686 says that HOAs or cities can’t prohibit you from having up to 6 laying hens, 6 rabbits (or a total of 8 of those animals) in your back yard, and they can’t prohibit you from having a front yard garden or having a cottage food operation. This legislation includes negotiated, reasonable regulations for sanitation, health, safety, noise, and odor that were agreed to by all stakeholders. That’s why it passed the House with such a tremendous margin.
To our dismay, the bill has run into a buzzsaw in the Senate, and we need our Lieutenant Governor, who represents every single Texan, to help pass this legislation. He brought the "backyard chicken bill" up for a vote last session -- we need him to lend his support this session to get the bill to the floor.
The food shortages Texas experienced in the last year were scary, with empty shelves and lines around the store for food. During the Great Freeze, some backyard hens were feeding multiple families with their eggs – while store shelves were empty, and many people couldn't even get to a store.
Many cities across Texas and the nation allow up to 6 backyard chickens, with no detriment to property values or neighborhood quality of life – in fact, “chicken coop tours” are extremely popular, and realtors will often hype properties that allow chickens or have an existing coop.
Texans deserve food security, and the food shortages of the past year have made this a critical issue. Call Dan Patrick today and ask him to help pass HB 1686, the Home Food Security Act, aka the “Chicken Bill”. Every Texan can call. 512-463-5342.
Bonus: If you, or someone you know, lives in Senator Bettencourt’s district, please call his office at (512) 463-0107 and respectfully talk to the staff about how hens are quiet, clean, good neighbors. Important – don’t call his office if you don’t live in his district, this will actually hurt the bill. His district covers part of Harris County and includes Bunker Hill Village, Hedwig Village, parts of Houston, Hunters Creek Village, Jersey Village, Piney Point Village, Spring, and Tomball. Map: https://wrm.capitol.texas.gov/fyi.../pdf/senate/dist7/m1.pdf
Time is running out. Please call Lt. Governor Patrick today.

 

[RUNuts]

Wrote Lt Gov Patrick and my State Senator. Where are you getting these updates?

 

[ChickenRoper1]

I am getting them from the Facebook page Texas Baker's Bill. Kelly Masters runs the page and is very active in lobbying for this effort. Here is a link to her page.

https://www.facebook.com/TexasBakersBill/

She is doing great work to get this bill passed.

 

[Matejka]

Everyone staying dry?

 

[Matejka]

Ok, it finally started raining about 30 minutes ago. Awesome lightning! TV unplugged, breaker to antennae off.
Sitting on porch, watching the rain.
Is everyone safe,dry,secure?
Anyone need anything?

 

[electrycmonk]

Plenty of rain. Yard is more then 100% saturated. Puddles have become yard ponds.
More rain scheduled for the overnight and tomorrow afternoon as well.....

 

[007Sean]

Haven't looked at the tipping bucket data yet but we have had at least 6" since yesterday. More rain and flash flooding expected today....along with severe thunderstorms, hail and a tornado or two!