(a) A referendum to establish an eradication zone,
to establish an eradication program in an existing eradication zone,
to add a county or area to an existing eradication zone, to transfer
an area or county from one statutory eradication zone to another,
to discontinue the program in an eradication zone, or to set an assessment
rate must pass by a favorable vote of at least two-thirds of those
voting on the referendum or a favorable vote of growers who farm more
than 50% of the total acreage of cotton in the relevant eradication
zone or area. The total acreage of cotton in each zone or area shall
be determined by use of the latest available figures from the Texas
office of the United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service
Agency.
(b) A retention referendum conducted under the Texas
Agriculture Code (Code), §74.114, and a referendum or proposition
included in a referendum to approve use of a third-party contractor
to carry out an eradication program, must pass by majority vote of
growers voting.
(c) If an eradication zone or program establishment,
assessment, or retention referendum conducted under the Code, §74.114,
is not approved, the department may not conduct another referendum
in the same area on that same issue before one year after the date
of the election on the failed referendum. In addition, if an eradication
zone is not established or is discontinued, any concurrent board member
election has no effect, and the commissioner shall appoint a board
member to represent the eradication zone in which the election was
held.
(d) If a discontinuation referendum conducted under
the Code, §74.112, is not approved, no such referendum may be
held within two years of any other referendum in the eradication zone
pertaining to establishing or discontinuing the eradication zone.
(e) After the commissioner has certified the referendum
and board election and issued certificates of election to any elected
board members, those members may act in accordance with the powers
provided to them by the Code, Chapter 74, Subchapter D.
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Source Note: The provisions of this §3.6 adopted to be effective August 9, 1993, 18 TexReg 4949; amended to be effective December 31, 1993, 18 TexReg 9754; amended to be effective August 1, 1996, 21 TexReg 6891; amended to be effective November 24, 1997, 22 TexReg 11081; amended to be effective June 26, 2023, 48 TexReg 3405 |