Delivering Results for Texas' Green Industry
Advocacy is about outcomes. TNLA works year-round to protect businesses, reduce regulatory risk, strengthen water and workforce policy, and ensure every segment of Texas’ green industry has a voice with decision makers.
The value of advocacy is not always measured by a headline or a new law. Some of TNLA’s most important wins come from preventing harmful policies, shaping regulations before they impact your business, building relationships with elected officials, and ensuring our industry is part of the conversation when decisions are made.
Member Value Created by Advocacy
Cost Savings
Reducing tax, compliance, liability, and operational costs for members.
Regulatory Protection
Stopping harmful policies, local overreach, and unnecessary mandates.
Business Growth
Supporting water infrastructure, workforce access, and market stability.
Industry Stability
Protecting plant health, professional standards, and core industry tools.
Impact by Industry Segment
Plant health alerts, pesticide access, ag finance, tax relief, and Right to Farm protections.
Local preemption, equipment choice, water policy, pesticide standards, and liability protections.
Licensing integrity, water infrastructure investment, and protection from restrictive irrigation policies.
Market access, plant health communication, sales tax fairness, and regulatory clarity.
Reduced litigation risk, improved logistics, infrastructure investment, and business cost containment.
89th Texas Legislative Session – Key Wins & Fights
Statewide Plant & Pest Alert System
TNLA supported legislation establishing a coordinated statewide agriculture alert system to notify stakeholders of pest and plant disease threats.
Why it matters: Early detection and communication protect our industry from costly disruptions. Instead of relying on TDA to communicate quarantines, this legislation allows us to directly sign up for alerts in every Texas county. Read more by clicking here!
Texas Water Infrastructure Investment
Texas voters approved dedicated funding to strengthen the state’s water supply infrastructure.
Why it matters: Long-term water security is critical to Texas communities and the landscapes that support them. Read more by clicking here!
Stopped Risky Licensing Loophole
TNLA helped stop legislation that would have allowed certain out-of-state education credentials to substitute for Texas-specific licensing requirements, including the required training course for the Backflow Prevention Assembly
Why it matters: Maintaining strong Texas-specific licensing standards helps protect public health, water quality, and the credibility of professional licensure systems relied on across the green industry.
Protected Science-Based Tools: Atrazine & Glyphosate Removed bill
TNLA supported efforts to remove atrazine and glyphosate from a Senate bill after it proposed classifying these herbicides as “food ingredients,” which would have triggered warning label requirements for products derived from treated crops.
Why it matters: Atrazine and glyphosate are widely used, EPA-approved tools that help manage weeds and sustain plant production. Removing them from the bill helped prevent unnecessary regulatory burdens and protected access to important tools relied on across the green industry.
Limited Bill Allowing Legislators to Request TCEQ Public Meetings on Compost Facilities
TNLA worked with lawmakers to narrow HB 4271 after the bill originally would have allowed legislators to request a TCEQ public meeting on any compost facility, including existing operations.
Why it matters: TNLA helped limit the bill’s application to proposed facilities only, reducing the potential for unnecessary regulatory burdens and protecting existing compost operations from expanded political and permitting challenges.
Narrowed Impacts of Compost Bill
TNLA worked to reduce the broad impacts of SB 2078, which originally would have prohibited compost facilities within one kilometer of a waterway or water feature.
Why it matters: TNLA successfully helped narrow the bill’s final scope to focus specifically on food waste operations, preventing broader unintended impacts on compost facilities and green industry operations across Texas.
Fixed Problematic Language Criminalizing Several Native Texas Plants
TNLA worked successfully to remove plants and naturally occurring plant compounds from SB 1868 after the bill’s original language unintentionally included several common ornamental and native Texas plants.
Why it matters: The original bill language could have inadvertently criminalized plants such as Texas Mountain Laurel, Periwinkle, Morning Glory, and other ornamentals widely used across the green industry. TNLA’s advocacy helped ensure legitimate nursery and landscape plants were not swept into the legislation.
88th Texas Legislative Session – Previous Wins
Stopped City Bans on Gas-Powered Landscape Equipment
TNLA supported legislation preventing local governments from banning or restricting the use, sale, or lease of gas-powered landscape equipment based solely on fuel source.
Why it matters: The legislation helped prevent a patchwork of local equipment bans that would have imposed significant operational and financial burdens on landscape businesses. The new law protects the ability of professionals to use the equipment that best meets their operational, workforce, and customer needs while maintaining consistent statewide standards.
Supported Greater Transparency on TDA Regulatory Actions
TNLA supported legislation requiring the Texas Department of Agriculture to notify legislative oversight committees following certain stop-sale orders, seizures, or destruction of plant materials tied to regulatory concerns.
Why it matters: The bill would have increased transparency around significant regulatory actions affecting agricultural products and highlighted emerging pest and disease concerns impacting the industry. TNLA also supported changes narrowing the bill’s focus to illegal roadside sales activity and seizure actions occurring at roadside inspection stations.
Although the bill ultimately did not become law, it helped elevate awareness around regulatory transparency and the importance of state-funded inspection infrastructure.
Laid Groundwork for Statewide Pest & Disease Alerts
TNLA supported legislation requiring TDA to notify industry stakeholders when significant pests or diseases were identified, quarantines established, or compliance agreements executed.
Why it matters: Although the bill ultimately died in the Senate at the final stage of session, the effort helped build momentum for the successful passage of HB 1592 during the 89th Legislature.
Strengthened Right to Farm Protections
TNLA supported legislation strengthening protections for agricultural operations located within municipal boundaries.
Why it matters: The bill helped protect agricultural and horticultural operations from burdensome local requirements and reinforced the importance of standard agricultural practices recognized by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension.
Protected Agricultural Operations from Nuisance Lawsuits
TNLA supported legislation strengthening protections for agricultural producers facing nuisance-related legal actions tied to standard agricultural operations.
Why it matters: The bill increased legal protections for producers and horticultural operations by raising the evidentiary standard required in nuisance lawsuits, helping safeguard normal agricultural practices across Texas.
Protected the Right to Engage in Horticulture
TNLA supported a constitutional amendment protecting the right to engage in farming, ranching, timber production, horticulture, and wildlife management.
Why it matters: At TNLA’s request, horticulture was specifically included in the amendment language, helping ensure constitutional protections extended to Texas’ green industry.
Supported the New Water for Texas Fund
TNLA supported legislation creating the New Water for Texas Fund to incentivize development of new water supply projects statewide.
Why it matters: TNLA successfully worked to remove language that could have imposed problematic residential landscape water conservation mandates modeled after City of Austin requirements.
Supported State Preemption of Certain Local Regulations
TNLA supported legislation clarifying state preemption over certain municipal and county regulations involving agriculture, environmental regulation, and employment practices.
Why it matters: The bill helped prevent inconsistent local regulations that could create operational uncertainty and conflicting compliance standards for businesses operating across Texas.
Secured Citrus Canker Inspection Funding
TNLA supported budget rider language addressing citrus canker enforcement and inspection activities conducted by the Texas Department of Agriculture.
Why it matters: The final language funded additional inspection personnel in quarantine zones while limiting the use of state funds for certain registry activities and requiring repayment safeguards tied to citrus sale shutdowns.
Advocacy Happens Year-Round
Workforce Policy
Engaged lawmakers on workforce policy and seasonal labor reform.
Local Ordinances
Monitored local proposals impacting landscape and development requirements.
Regulatory Advocacy
Worked with agencies to support practical implementation of regulations.
Relationship Building
Strengthened relationships with key committee chairs and agency leaders.
Effective advocacy is built through consistent engagement — not just during legislative session.
Stay Connected to TNLA Advocacy
Stay informed on legislative, regulatory, and local issues impacting Texas’ green industry through TNLA advocacy updates and action alerts.
Questions or Want to Get Involved?
TNLA’s advocacy efforts are strengthened by member engagement and industry input. If you have questions about legislation, regulatory issues, or advocacy priorities, feel free to reach out.
