Home Food Security heads to a House Floor vote
Published May 10, 2021; Updated May 13, 2021
UPDATE: The House passed HB 1686 on the morning of May 13, in a vote of 143-1. The bill now moves to the Senate, and we wait for scheduling of a floor vote.
The Texas House will vote on HB 1686, the Home Food Security bill, TODAY, Monday, May 10.
Thank you to everyone who called their Reps, emailed Calendars Committee members, and came up to the Capitol in person to do the rounds. You made a difference!
We’ve also gotten the Senate companion bill, SB 1062, onto the agenda for today’s Senate Local Government hearing – which means the bill is moving forward it both chambers!
Can you help again? With just 3 weeks left in the session, we need a strong vote in the House to help us build momentum to get the bill all the way through the Senate and onto the Governor’s desk.
TAKE ACTION #1: Call your State Representative to urge them to VOTE YES on HB 1686
Look up and find contact info for who represents you.
They have almost 100 bills on the calendar today, so you want to keep your call very short and simple. The staff may be abrupt; do not take it personally.
Sample message:
“Hi, my name is ___, and I live in [town]. I am calling to ask Representative ___ to vote YES on HB 1686, the Home Food Security Act.
This bipartisan bill protects people’s right to raise food for themselves on their own property, while still allowing reasonable restrictions by cities and homeowners’ associations.
[Add just one or two sentences about why this matters to YOU.]
Thank you for your time, and I hope my Rep will vote yes on HB 1686.”
TAKE ACTION #2: Ask your State Senator to co-sponsor SB 1062
Call your State Senator and urge them to co-sponsor SB 1062.
Sample message:
“Hi, my name is ___, and I live in [town]. I am calling to ask Senator ___ to co-sponsor SB 1062, the Home Food Security Act.
The House companion bill is being voted on today, and has strong bipartisan support. This bill protects people’s right to raise food for themselves on their own property, while still allowing reasonable restrictions by cities and homeowners’ associations.
[Add just one or two sentences about why this matters to YOU.]
Thank you for your time, and I hope my Senator will add his/her name to SB 1062 and help it move forward.”
MORE INFORMATION:
The Home Food Security Bill, HB 1686, 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. It allows cities and HOAs to adopt reasonable restrictions, such as banning roosters or to prevent odor or pest problems, as long as the restrictions don’t reach the level of effectively banning the gardens, chickens, rabbits, or cottage foods.
You can download our Fact Sheet to learn more about the bill.