Before we get into the issues, I want to say Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.
We all know that the holiday has its origins as a harvest celebration. For America’s early settlers, a good harvest was worth celebrating. It literally meant the difference between life and death in the coming Winter months. Nowadays, the meaning of the holiday has shifted, but none of it would be possible without all of you who raise our livestock and work the land. Thank you!
Now, for the fun stuff, because it’s been a busy week for your TSCRA government relations office.
Just this morning, the House passed its $1.7 trillion Build Back Better Act after weeks of infighting amongst Democrats. We’ve long anticipated eventual passage in the House given the Democratic majority, but the bill must now go to an evenly split Senate, where it faces continued hurdles with moderate Democrats.
We expect it to be cut down even more and will continue working with our friends in the U.S. Senate to mitigate its harmful effects on cattle producers.
Elsewhere in Washington, WOTUS is back in the news. The EPA and Army Corps of Engineers announced Thursday their formal proposal to repeal and replace the Navigable Waters Protection Rule. We issued a press release on that announcement today and will be heavily involved in the process moving forward. I’ll leave it that for now since we just talked about WOTUS a few weeks ago in my update, and it was the subject of a recent editorial by Jay Evans in The Cattleman magazine.
Speaking of water issues, we also submitted an amicus brief this week to the Texas Supreme Court on a case that’s been winding its way through the Texas courts. At stake is the process by which water ownership rights are considered, interpreted and protected. The ultimate decision could have far-reaching effects on surface and groundwater ownership disputes, so we wanted to ensure the Supreme Court considered the impact on cattle producers. There’s a link to the full brief in our press release if you want to know more.
Thursday night, we were at the TSCRA Ranch Gathering in Brenham. It was great to catch up and meet so many of you over some brisket and drinks. We were also excited to share the stage with State Rep. Kyle Kacal and State Senator Lois Kolkhorst. TSCRA Director Kelley Sullivan Georgiades presented Kolkhorst with a framed copy of a recent article in the Cattleman magazine, highlighting some of her many accomplishments on behalf of cattle producers. Be sure to check out the “Standing With Us” article in each issue of The Cattleman to hear about some of the legislators who were instrumental in helping cattle producers during the 2021 Texas Legislative Session.
Now that redistricting and three special sessions are in the rearview mirror, many of those current and prospective lawmakers are hitting the campaign trail. We’ve been busy meeting with many of them to discuss issues important to our association and see how their goals align with those of cattle producers.
As is usually the case after redistricting, there is a lot of shuffling happening. So far, more than 25 Texas House and Senate members have announced their retirements or intentions to run for other offices. That means there will be a lot of new names on the ballot next year and a lot of new faces in the legislature.
Candidates have until mid-December to file their paperwork with the Secretary of State to run for office. Once the deadline passes, our PAC trustees will meet to decide which candidates to endorse and support. Stay tuned. We should have an endorsement list to share with you early next year.
Last but not least, our own Kaleb McLaurin is at the U.S. Cattle Trace Symposium in Wichita, Kansas, this week with TSCRA directors Missy Bonds and Joe Leathers. They are developing industry-driven solutions to animal disease traceability that can preempt potentially harmful government mandates. More on that later.
I know there are other things that I’m forgetting, but I guess we can save that for next time too. I hope y’all have a fantastic Thanksgiving, and we’ll be back with the View from Austin in a couple of weeks!
Until then,
-Jeremy
Jeremy Fuchs is the director of policy communications and government relations for Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association.