SB 2846 – Expansive TPWD quarantine authority

SB 2846 significantly expands the regulatory power of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department by allowing it to impose expansive quarantines and penalties for diseases in wildlife, including non-communicable ones. It creates sweeping new enforcement tools, including misdemeanor and felony charges and daily administrative fines up to $5,000. The bill imposes nearly $700,000 in new costs to a dedicated state fund and grows government payroll by adding two new employees. It also gives TPWD broad discretion to define disease exposure and enforce compliance, which could burden rural property owners and hunters with vague or subjective mandates. Landowners may be forced to comply with costly disposal rules or face penalties, even without clear evidence of harm. This bill unnecessarily expands the state’s enforcement and surveillance reach into private property and wildlife management. The bill sets expands unchecked regulatory power under the guise of animal disease control. For these reasons, TFR strongly opposes SB 2846.