School districts must prefer certain Texas or U.S. products when cost and quality conditions are met, may get help from the Texas Department of Agriculture, and may not use purchasing specs that unnecessarily exclude Texas agricultural products.
Sec. 44.042. PREFERENCE TO TEXAS AND UNITED STATES PRODUCTS. (a) A school district that purchases agricultural products shall give preference to those produced, processed, or grown in this state if the cost to the school district is equal and the quality is equal. (b) If agricultural products produced, processed, or grown in this state are not equal in cost and quality to other products, the school district shall give preference to agricultural products produced, processed, or grown in other states of the United States over foreign products if the cost to the school district is equal and the quality is equal. (c) A school district that purchases vegetation for landscaping purposes, including plants, shall give preference to Texas vegetation if the cost to the school district is equal and the quality is not inferior. (d) Repealed by Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1083, Sec. 25(11), eff. June 17, 2011. (e) In the implementation of this section, a school district may receive assistance from and use the resources of the Texas Department of Agriculture, including information on availability of agricultural products. (f) A school district may not adopt product purchasing specifications that unnecessarily exclude agricultural products produced, processed, or grown in this state. (g) In this section: (1) "Agricultural products" includes textiles and other similar products. (2) "Processed" means canning, freezing, drying, juicing, preserving, or any other act that changes the form of a good from its natural state to another form. Added by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 1342, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1999. Amended by: Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1083 (S.B. 1179), Sec. 25(11), eff. June 17, 2011.