HB 2026 by Darby: Expansion of Rural Veterinarian Incentive Program

HB 2026 seeks to expand the already existing rural veterinarian incentive program enacted in the previous legislative session. HB 2026 specifically changes the entity with which program participants must enter into an agreement from a university system to that of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), extends the program eligibility to out-of-state students, and expands the number of counties that could qualify by increasing the population threshold from 100k to 150k. Put simply, HB 2026 expands the subsidy for rural veterinarians and ultimately is a perfect example of the problematic nature of all corporate welfare and government incentive schemes. No programs ever get smaller, only larger. TFR opposes the expansion of this subsidy program just as we opposed its creation of it in the last legislative session.