H.C.R. No. 31 HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION WHEREAS, Among the most urgent and costly issues facing Texas is drought, which recently has caused a number of crop failures on irrigated land; those occurrences have highlighted the necessity for policies that promote responsible water usage and water conservation; and WHEREAS, The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation, managed by the Risk Management Agency of the United States Department of Agriculture, supports the economic stability of agriculture through its crop insurance program, which assists American farmers and agricultural entities in managing risk and the threat of natural disasters; in the event of a crop failure, however, current FCIC policy requires farmers to demonstrate good faith practices, which include watering the failed crop, in order to qualify for insurance benefits; and WHEREAS, The USDA could further help sustain the agricultural industry and our precious water resources by developing provisions that encourage water conservation when crop failures occur; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas hereby respectfully urge the United States Congress to encourage the U.S. Department of Agriculture to revise existing policies that promote the waste of water after an irrigated crop has been declared a failure; and, be it further RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to the secretary of agriculture, to the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of Representatives of the Congress of the United States, to the chair of the House Committee on Agriculture and the chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and to all members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that this resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as a memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. Springer Stucky Gonzales of Williamson ______________________________ ______________________________ President of the Senate Speaker of the House I certify that H.C.R. No. 31 was adopted by the House on April 13, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 139, Nays 0, 2 present, not voting. ______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House I certify that H.C.R. No. 31 was adopted by the Senate on May 12, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. ______________________________ Secretary of the Senate APPROVED: __________________ Date __________________ Governor