Speak Up For Your Right To Raise Food

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The Texas Legislature is considering a bill that would protect people’s right to raise food for themselves on their own property, by preventing cities and homeowners’ associations (HOAs) from banning front yard gardens or a few backyard chickens or rabbits.  The bill also prevents HOAs from banning cottage food operations. 

The Home Food Security Bill, HB 1686/ SB 1062, allows cities and HOAs to adopt reasonable restrictions, such as banning roosters or to prevent odor problems — as long as the restrictions don’t reach the level of effectively banning the gardens, chickens, rabbits, or cottage foods.

HB 1686 was approved by the House Agriculture Committee by a vote of 8-1, which is a great start. But now it’s in the Calendars committee, and we’re concerned that the HOAs are working to keep it from being scheduled for a vote by the full House.  Meanwhile, the Senate companion bill has yet to get a hearing in the Local Government Committee where it was sent. 

We need more people to speak up and urge their legislators to support this good bill, if it’s to have a chance of passing before the session ends in one month.

TAKE ACTION #1: Call your State Representative to urge them to sign on to HB 1686.

Look up and find contact info for who represents you.

Bonus Action: Check this page to see if your Representative is on the Calendars Committee.  If he or she is on that Committee, please also encourage your friends and family who are in the district to call — we really need Calendars members to hear from their constituents. 

Sample message:

“Hi, my name is ___, and I live in {town}.  I am calling to ask Representative ___ to co-author HB 1686, the Home Food Security Act and to help it move forward as soon as possible. 

{Add a couple of sentences about why this matters to you – whether your city or HOA bans front yard gardens or chickens, or because of the need for people in the community to have access to affordable, healthy food, or you are a cottage food producer scared of being shut down by your HOA.}

This bill is important both to help individuals and our entire community.  At a time of significant food insecurity, we need to support people’s ability to provide for themselves.

Will Representative ____ co-author HB 1686? 

TAKE ACTION #2: Call your State Senator to urge them to sign on to SB 1062.

Bonus Action: Senator Bettencourt, the chair of the Senate Local Government Committee, represents Tomball and other suburban cities in Harris County, including a small portion of Houston.  If he is your Senator, please also encourage your friends and family who are in the district to call!

Sample message:

“Hi, my name is ___, and I live in {town}.  I am calling to ask Senator ___ to co-author SB 1062, the Home Food Security Act and to help it move forward as soon as possible. 

{Add a couple of sentences about why this matters to you – whether your city or HOA bans front yard gardens or chickens, or because of the need for people in the community to have access to affordable, healthy food, or you are a cottage food producer scared of being shut down by the HOA.}

This bill is important both to help individuals and our entire community.  At a time of significant food insecurity, we need to support people’s ability to provide for themselves.

Will Senator ____ co-author SB 1062?

Whether you are in one of the “bonus” areas or not, please make both calls!  And remember to be polite and brief – the staff are all working long hours, and you will be most effective if you engage them in a friendly manner.

MORE INFORMATION

You can download the Fact Sheet from the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance to learn more about the bill.

Look up and find contact info for who represents you.

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