AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas House Farm-to-Table Caucus announced their agenda for the 86th legislative session on Wednesday.
The caucus announced their priorities for the session to include the Cottage Food Freedom bill(HB 2108, SB 572), Sampling at Farmers Markets bill (HB 1694, SB 789) and Local Better Communications bill (HB 2107.)
The Cottage Food Freedom bill will allow expansion of the Texas Cottage Food Law, making items that cottage food production operations make, available for sale at the locations for consumers. The caucus said this fixes what they call the "pickle issue."
The passing of the Sampling at Farmers Markets bill would make it so no additional permit would be required to conduct sampling at farmers markets, as long as several health and safety precautions are respected.
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The passing of the Local Better Communications bill will encourage farmers and food producers full compliance with local health departments' regulations by requiring they respond to producers' written requests for information in a timely manner.
“We will be building on our successes from past legislative sessions by advancing policies that support Texas’s small and family farms, ranches and other food producers while increasing access to healthy, local for all Texans," said Rep. Eddie Rodriguez, Chair of the Farm-to-Table Caucus. "Among our foremost legislative priorities is accomplishing a reasonable expansion of the Texas Cottage Food Law and fixing the ‘pickle issue’ that has frustrated stakeholders since HB 970 took effect after passing in the 83rd Legislative Session."