{"id":2901,"date":"2024-12-11T11:30:35","date_gmt":"2024-12-11T17:30:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bohemianutopia.com\/?p=2901"},"modified":"2025-06-23T14:00:30","modified_gmt":"2025-06-23T19:00:30","slug":"2025-texas-legislation-to-watch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bohemianutopia.com\/?p=2901","title":{"rendered":"2025 Texas Legislation to watch"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left;\">12-11-2024 \/ <strong>Updated 6\/22\/2025<\/strong> :\u00a0 Legislation that may affect beekeeping and associated agriculture operations in Texas during their 89th Legislature session:<\/p>\n<p>Searches in Legiscan were for keywords:\u00a0\u00a0 Honey, Bees, Honeybees<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/legiscan.com\/gaits\/search\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/legiscan.com\/gaits\/search<\/a> &#8211; Specify Texas as your state and if asked &#8211; 89th Legislature.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>HB 519<\/strong> &#8211;\u00a0 ( Mary Gonzales &#8211; D )\u00a0\u00a0 Defines honeybee producer of honey operation.\u00a0 Defines that local governments cannot require further regulation.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 This is for pure honey and honeycomb that has NOT been further adulterated (other ingredients or flavorings).\u00a0\u00a0 This keeps honey production as a &#8220;raw agricultural commodity&#8221; and is in line with FDA rulings.+<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/legiscan.com\/TX\/bill\/HB519\/2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/legiscan.com\/TX\/bill\/HB519\/2025<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Action: 2025-06-22 &#8211; PASSED!\u00a0 \u00a0Effective on 9\/1\/25<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Harmony Hollow and Birds and the Bees Apiary &#8211; SUPPORTS this legislation<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>SB 541<\/strong> &#8211;\u00a0 ( Lois Kolkhorst &#8211; R )\u00a0 Relating to cottage food production operations. &#8211;\n<div class=\"x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\">\n<div dir=\"auto\"><span class=\"html-span xexx8yu xyri2b x18d9i69 x1c1uobl x1hl2dhg x16tdsg8 x1vvkbs x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xat24cr xm2jcoa x1mpyi22 xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"xz74otr x15mokao x1ga7v0g x16uus16 xbiv7yw\" src=\"https:\/\/static.xx.fbcdn.net\/images\/emoji.php\/v9\/t5a\/1\/16\/1f4b0.png\" alt=\"&#x1f4b0;\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" \/><\/span> It triples the annual sales cap to $150,000 and indexes it for inflation.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><span class=\"html-span xexx8yu xyri2b x18d9i69 x1c1uobl x1hl2dhg x16tdsg8 x1vvkbs x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xat24cr xm2jcoa x1mpyi22 xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"xz74otr x15mokao x1ga7v0g x16uus16 xbiv7yw\" src=\"https:\/\/static.xx.fbcdn.net\/images\/emoji.php\/v9\/t19\/1\/16\/1f4d1.png\" alt=\"&#x1f4d1;\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" \/><\/span> It allows cottage food producers to register with DSHS instead of putting their home address on the label.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><span class=\"html-span xexx8yu xyri2b x18d9i69 x1c1uobl x1hl2dhg x16tdsg8 x1vvkbs x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xat24cr xm2jcoa x1mpyi22 xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"xz74otr x15mokao x1ga7v0g x16uus16 xbiv7yw\" src=\"https:\/\/static.xx.fbcdn.net\/images\/emoji.php\/v9\/t76\/1\/16\/1f36a.png\" alt=\"&#x1f36a;\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" \/><\/span> It creates simple, common-sense standards for providing samples to potential customers without permits.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><span class=\"html-span xexx8yu xyri2b x18d9i69 x1c1uobl x1hl2dhg x16tdsg8 x1vvkbs x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xat24cr xm2jcoa x1mpyi22 xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"xz74otr x15mokao x1ga7v0g x16uus16 xbiv7yw\" src=\"https:\/\/static.xx.fbcdn.net\/images\/emoji.php\/v9\/tf1\/1\/16\/1f4af.png\" alt=\"&#x1f4af;\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" \/><\/span> And it very explicitly clarifies that the local health departments cannot require permits or charge fees of cottage food producers.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">This is the biggest expansion of the cottage food law we&#8217;ve ever had, and it puts Texas back at the forefront of the Food Freedom movement.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/legiscan.com\/TX\/bill\/SB541\/2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/legiscan.com\/TX\/bill\/SB541\/2025<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Action: 2025-06-22 &#8211; PASSED!\u00a0 \u00a0Effective on 9\/1\/25<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Harmony Hollow and Birds and the Bees Apiary &#8211; SUPPORTS this legislation<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>HB 552<\/strong> &#8211;\u00a0 ( Mary Gonzales &#8211; D )\u00a0\u00a0 Relating to a study by the Texas A&amp;M AgriLife Extension Service to determine standards for the appraisal for ad valorem tax purposes of certain agricultural land used to raise or keep bees.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/legiscan.com\/TX\/bill\/HB552\/2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/legiscan.com\/TX\/bill\/HB552\/2025<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Action:\u00a0 \u00a0 Died in chamber<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Harmony Hollow &#8211; SUPPORTS this legislation<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>HB 1437<\/strong> &#8211;\u00a0 ( Mary Gonzales &#8211; D )\u00a0\u00a0 Relating to the task force on pollinator health.\u00a0\u00a0 Defines the team for this task force &#8211; as well as their mission.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/legiscan.com\/TX\/bill\/HB1437\/2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/legiscan.com\/TX\/bill\/HB1437\/2025<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Action:\u00a0 Died in chamber<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Harmony Hollow &#8211; SUPPORTS this legislation<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>SB2850<\/strong> &#8211; Relating to the task force on pollinator health.\u00a0\u00a0 Defines the team for this task force &#8211; as well as their mission.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/legiscan.com\/TX\/bill\/SB2850\/2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/legiscan.com\/TX\/bill\/SB2850\/2025<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Action:\u00a0 \u00a0Died in committee<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Harmony Hollow &#8211; SUPPORTS this legislation<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>HB 5193<\/strong> &#8211; (Lois Kolkhorst &#8211; R )\u00a0 Relating to improving efficiency, transparency, and regulatory processes in state and local government.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/legiscan.com\/TX\/bill\/HB5193\/2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/legiscan.com\/TX\/bill\/HB5193\/2025<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Action:\u00a0 \u00a0Died in committee<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Harmony Hollow &#8211; Researching at this time<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>SB 1360<\/strong> &#8211; (Lois Kolkhorst &#8211; R )\u00a0 Relating to the labeling and sale of Texas honey.\u00a0 Specifies that a label may not claim &#8220;Texas&#8221;, &#8220;Local&#8221;, etc, unless it consists ENTIRELY from apiaries located in Texas and at least 75% of its nectar derived from plants in Texas.\u00a0 Also specifies that Texas Dept of State Health Services shall enforce and have a 90-day suspension of Mfg License if violated.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/legiscan.com\/TX\/bill\/SB1360\/2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/legiscan.com\/TX\/bill\/SB1360\/2025<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Action:\u00a0 Died in committee<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Harmony Hollow &#8211; Neutral on this issue at this time &#8211; But in general supports this.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>HB 3522<\/strong> &#8211; (Janis Holt R )\u00a0 Relating to the labeling and sale of Texas honey.\u00a0 Specifies that a label may not claim &#8220;Texas&#8221;, unless it is ENTIRELY from apiaries located in Texas. \u00a0 No enforcement is specified.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/legiscan.com\/TX\/bill\/HB3522\/2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/legiscan.com\/TX\/bill\/HB3522\/2025<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Action:\u00a0 Died in committee<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Harmony Hollow &#8211; Neutral on this issue at this time &#8211; But in general supports this.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>HB 2930<\/strong> &#8211; ( Brent Money &#8211; R )\u00a0 Relating to the eligibility of land for appraisal for ad valorem tax purposes as qualified open-space land.\u00a0 Adds fruits &amp; vegetables to agriculture use of the land as well as organic and\/or uncommon ag use of land ; calls for appraiser to consult with A&amp;M Extension offices; Establishes that a consultation of knowledged people define the degree of intensity AND RECORDKEEPING\u00a0 for ag practices;<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/legiscan.com\/TX\/bill\/HB2930\/2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/legiscan.com\/TX\/bill\/HB2930\/2025<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Action:\u00a0 Died in committee<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Harmony Hollow &#8211; Neutral on this issue at this time &#8211; But in general supports this.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>SB 497<\/strong> &#8211; ( Kevin Sparks &#8211; R )\u00a0 Allows DURING A TIME OF DECLARED EMERGENCY &#8211; and via ISSUED PERMIT &#8211; vehicles to use red dyed fuel (that is not taxed) during the time of declared emergency &#8211; and in the area of the emergency declaration. \u00a0 Dyed sales of fuel need to be documented.\u00a0\u00a0 Operation of normally off-road or equipment not meant for on-road use &#8211; must be done in a manner to prevent damage to the roadways.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/legiscan.com\/TX\/bill\/SB497\/2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/legiscan.com\/TX\/bill\/SB497\/2025<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Action:\u00a0 Died in committee<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Harmony Hollow &#8211; Neutral on this issue at this time<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>HB 2118<\/strong> &#8211; ( Briscoe Cain &#8211; R ) Relating to the issuance of oversize or overweight permits for vehicles transporting agricultural commodities during or preceding a disaster.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/legiscan.com\/TX\/bill\/HB2118\/2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/legiscan.com\/TX\/bill\/HB2118\/2025<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Action: 2025-04-24 &#8211; In Senate &#8211; Referred to Transportation Committee<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Harmony Hollow &#8211; Neutral on this issue at this time<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>HB 1113<\/strong> &#8211; ( Briscoe Cain &#8211; R )\u00a0 Allows for hemp to be added to Agricultural products and commodities in Texas &#8211; and allows for places of higher education to apply for a permit for research on hemp.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/legiscan.com\/TX\/bill\/HB1113\/2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/legiscan.com\/TX\/bill\/HB1113\/2025<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Action:\u00a0 Died in committee<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Harmony Hollow &#8211; Neutral on this issue at this time<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left;\">12-11-2024 \/ Updated 6\/22\/2025 : Legislation that may affect beekeeping and associated agriculture operations in Texas during their 89th Legislature session:<\/p>\n<p>Searches in Legiscan were for keywords: Honey, Bees, Honeybees<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/legiscan.com\/gaits\/search &#8211; Specify Texas as your state and if asked &#8211; 89th Legislature.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p> HB 519 &#8211; ( Mary Gonzales &#8211; D ) [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[847,96,97,98,83,99,15,966,102],"tags":[848,634,970,969,257,694,967,894,420,968],"class_list":["post-2901","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ag-valuation","category-bee-yard","category-bee-yard-projects","category-beekeeping","category-bohemian-life","category-bohemian-utopia","category-harmony-hollow-apiaries","category-legislation","category-life","tag-ag-valuation","tag-agriculture","tag-code","tag-fuel","tag-honey","tag-honey-production","tag-law","tag-legislation","tag-texas","tag-transportation","odd"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2ze45-KN","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bohemianutopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2901","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bohemianutopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bohemianutopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bohemianutopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bohemianutopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2901"}],"version-history":[{"count":48,"href":"https:\/\/www.bohemianutopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2901\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3315,"href":"https:\/\/www.bohemianutopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2901\/revisions\/3315"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bohemianutopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bohemianutopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bohemianutopia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}