.a~~ 

TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF AGRlCULTURE 

COMMISSIONER SID MILLER 

January 7, 2020 

The Honorable Sonny Perdue 

Secretary of Agriculture 

U.S. Department of Agriculture 

1400 Independence Avenue SW 

Washington , DC 20250 

Dear Secretary Perdue: 

The Texas Department of Agriculture (TOA) previously submitted a state plan to the United 

States Department of Agriculture (USDA) on December 2, 20 19. We received comments from 

your team by email on December 23, 2019, and we have made the requested changes to the 

proposed Texas rules (amended proposed rules). 

Specifically, the "signatories for its license" language has been deleted in amended proposed 

rule §24. 11. Language requiring a producer to report to the Farm Service Agency any changes 

in a lot or fac ility where hemp is grown has been added to amended proposed rule §24. I 3(k). 

Language requiring a State Laboratory to register with the Federal Drug Enforcement 

Administration has been added to amended proposed rule §24.24(c)(4). Additionally, TOA will 

enforce the 15 day before harvest sampling requirement, as stated in amended proposed rule 

§24.2 1 and in accordance with federal rules and guidelines. Although the 15 day requirement 

conflicts with the "20 day" language in § 122. 154 and § 122.20 I of Texas House Bill 1325 (HB 

1325), §122.004 of HB 1325 in validates a provision of 1-1B 1325 if USDA "determines that the 

provision ...conflicts with 7 U.S.C. Chapter 38, Subchapter VII, and prevents the approval of 

the state plan submitted under Chapter 12 1." For this reason, TOA assures that it can and wi 11 

enforce the 15 day requirement in accordance with federal rules and gu idelines. 

We have also made other minor changes to the proposed Texas rules to increase efficiencies that 

do not impact upon the requirements of the 20 18 Farm Bill, or the proposed interim USDA 

hemp rules. TOA now resubmits the amended Texas state plan. This updated version (see 

attached) includes HB 1325 and TDA's amended proposed rules fo r TDA's Hemp Program. 

TDA's amended proposed rules incorporate the federal rules and guidelines, and expand on key 

provisions in 1-18 1325. 

(1) Maintain Relevant Information Regarding Land. 

The fo llowing sections demonstrate the state's plan ' ·10 maintain relevant information 

P.O. Box 12847 (5 12) 463-7476 

AUSTI N, TEXAS 78711 TEXASAG RlCULT URE.GOV FAX: (888) 223-8861 
regarding land on which hemp is produced in the State . . . including a legal description ofthe 

land,for a period ofnot less than 3 calendar years[]" See Sec. 297B(a)(2)(A)(i). 

See Texas Agriculture Code Chapter 122. Cultivation ofHemp. 

Subchapter C. Hemp Grower's License 

See § 122. l Ol. License Required; Exceptions. 

See § 122.103. Application; Issuance. 

See TDA's Proposed Rules Subchapter A. General Provisions. 

See §24.3. Records Retention. 

See TDA's Proposed Rules Subchapter C. Licensing 

See §24.8. License Application. 

See §24.9. Ineligibility for a License. 

See §24.10. Criteria for Evaluation ofLicense Application. 

See §24.11. Criminal Background Check. 

See §24.12. Administrative Appeal from Denial ofLicense Application. 

See §24.13. Terms and Conditions for License Holders. 

See §24.14. Restrictions for License Holders. 

See §24. l 5. License Holders who Transplant. 

See §24.16. Facility Addition or Modification. 

See §24.17. Lot Permit. 

See §24.18. Reporting and Recordkeeping. 

See §24.19. Registration of Processors. 

(2)Testing Procedures. 

The following sections and procedures demonstrate the state's "procedure[s]for testing, using 

postdecarboxylation or other similarly reliable methods, delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol 

concentration levels ofhemp produced in the State ..." See Sec. 297B(a)(2)(A)(ii). 

See Texas Agriculture Code Chapter 122. Cultivation of Hemp. Subchapter D. Testing. 

See § 122.151. Testing Laboratories. 

See § 122.152. Registration of Independent Testing Laboratories. 

See § 122.153. Preharvest Testing Required. 

See § 122.154. Preharvest Sample Collection. 

See § 122.156. Shipping Documentation for Testing Samples. 

See §122.157. False Laboratory Report; Criminal Offense. 

See Texas Health & Safety Code Chapter 443. Manufacture, Distribution, and Sale of 

Consumable Hemp Products. Subchapter D. Testing of Consumable Hemp Products. 

See §443.151. Testing Required. 

See §443.152. Provisions Related to Testing. 

See TDA's Proposed Rules Subchapter E. Testing. 

See §24.24. Testing Laboratory. 
See §24.25. Standards for Testing. 

See §24.26. Methods for Testing. 

See §24.27. Testing Procedure. 

See §24.28. Reporting Test Results. 

See §24.29. Retest. 

See TDA Testing Procedure. 

(3)Disposal of Plants and Products. 

The following sections demonstrate the state's "procedure for the effective disposal ofplants, 

whether growing or not, that are produced in violation ofthis subtitle, and products derived from 

those plants[}" See Sec. 297B(a)(2)(A)(iii)(l)-(II). 

See Texas Agriculture Code Chapter 122. Cultivation of Hemp. 

Subchapter E. Harvest and Use or Disposal of Plants. 

See § 122.202. Use or Disposal of Harvested Plants. 

See Texas Health & Safety Code Chapter 443. Manufacture, Distribution, and Sale of 

Consumable Hemp Products. Subchapter B. Powers and Duties. 

See §443.051. Rulemaking Authority of Executive Commissioner. 

See TDA's Proposed Rules Subchapter F. Disposal. 

See §24.30. Notice Procedures. 

See §24.31. Non-Compliant Cannabis Plants. 

See TDA Disposal Procedure. 

(4)Enforcement Procedures for Violations of the Hemp Program. 

The following sections demonstrate ''procedure[s] to comply with the enforcement procedures 

under subsection (e) ... " regarding negligent and other violations by hemp producers in Texas. 

See 297B(a)(2)(A)(iv). 

See Texas Agriculture Code Chapter 12. Powers and Duties. 

See § 12.020. Administrative Penalties. 

See Texas Agriculture Code Chapter 122. Cultivation of Hemp. 

See §122.055. Shipping Certificate or Cargo Manifest. 

See § 122.102. License Ineligibility. 

See §122.105. Revocation. 

See§ 122.157. False Laboratory Report; Criminal Offense. 

See§ 122.359. Civil Penalty. 

See §122.360. Criminal Offense. 

See Texas Agriculture Code Chapter 122. Cultivation of Hemp. 
Subchapter I. Enforcement; Penalties. 

See § 122.401. Penalty Schedule. 

See § I 22.402. Administrative Penalty. 

See §122.403. Negligent Violations by License Holder. 

See §122.404. Other Violations by License Holder. 

See TDA's Proposed Rules Subchapter G. Enforcement. 

See §24.32. Complaints. 

See §24.33. Negligent Violations. 

See §24.34. Violations with a Culpable Mental State Greater than Negligence. 

See §24.35. License Suspension. 

See §24.36. License Revocation. 

See §24.37. Penalties. 

See §24.38. Appeals. 

(5)Annual Inspections of Hemp Producers. 

The following sections and procedures demonstrate "a procedure for conducting annual 

inspections of, at a minimum, a random sample ofhemp producers to verify that hemp is not 

produced in violation ofthis subtitle[]." See 2978(a)(2)(A)(v). 

See Texas Agriculture Code Chapter 122. Cultivation of Hemp. Subchapter B. Powers 

and Duties of Department. 

See§ 122.053. Inspections. 

See § 122.055. Shipping Certificate or Cargo Manifest. 

See § 122.35 8. Powers and Duties of Peace Officers. 

See TDA's Proposed Rules Subchapter D. Inspections. 

See §24.20. Site Access for Representatives ofthe Department 

and Law Enforcement Agencies. 

See §24.21. Sampling and Collection. 

See §24.22. Lot Report. 

See §24.23. Other Activities. 

See TOA Sampling and Collection Procedure. 

(6)Information Sharing for Law Enforcement and the Secretary of 

Agriculture. 

The following sections include "a procedure for submitting the information described in section 

297C(d)(2), as applicable, to the Secretary not more than 30 days after the date on which the 

information is received," which includes the hemp producers contact information, a legal 

description of the land, and the license status and any changes in that status. See 

2978(a)(2)(A)(vi). 

See Texas Agriculture Code Chapter 121. State Hemp Production Plan. Subchapter F. 
Hemp. 

See§ 121.004. Rules. 

See TDA's Proposed Rules Subchapter A. General Provisions. 

See §24.2. Information Submitted to the United States Secretary of Agriculture 

See TDA Information Gathering and Sharing Procedure 

(7) State Certification of Resources and Personnel Necessary to Administer the State 

Hemp Program. 

See attached document titled "Hemp Program Certification by Commissioner Sid Miller, Texas 

Department of Agriculture," dated January 7, 2020. See 297B(a)(2)(A)(vii). 

(S)Other Procedures. 

The following sections include "other procedures consistent with the 2018 Farm Bill", as stated 

in section 297B(a)(2)(B), which includes definition of terms, fee schedules, transport manifests, 

hemp seed, and academic hemp related research. 

See TDA's Proposed Rules Subchapter A. General Provisions 

See §24.1. Definitions. 

See §24.4. Information Submitted to the Department Subject to Open Records Act. 

See TDA's Proposed Rules Subchapter B. Fees. 

See §24.5. Schedule of Licensing and Registration Fees. 

See §24.6. Schedule of Sampling, Collection, and Testing Fees. 

See §24.7. Other Fees. 

See TDA 's Proposed Rules Subchapter H. Transportation 

See §24.39. Transport Manifest Required. 

See §24.40. Transport Manifest for Test Samples. 

See §24.41. Transport of Pests Prohibited. 

See §24.42. Transplants Originating Outside the State of Texas Prohibited. 

See §24.43. Mixed Cargo Prohibited. 

See TDA's Proposed Rules Subchapter I. Seed 

See §24.44. Certified or Approved Hemp Seed. 

See §24.45. License Required to Sell, Possess, Hold or Purchase Hemp Seed. 

See §24.46. Hemp Seed Quality and Labeling Requirements. 

See §24.4 7. Hemp Seed Recordkeeping. 

See §24.48. Certification and Approval of Hemp Seed. 

See TDA's Proposed Rules Subchapter J. Agricultural or Academic Hemp Related 

Research 
See §24.49. Hemp Research License. 

See §24.50. Hemp Research Plan. 

For your convenience, TDA completed the "USDA Checklist for Approving State and Triba l 

Hemp Plans" (see attached), and c ited the applicable sections of the Texas Agriculture Code 

and TDA amended proposed rules that satisfy the federal requirements. Thank you for the 

leadership you and your staff have shown on this important d lopment fo r the agricultura l 

industry. As a lways, please let me know if there is anythi an o to help. 

Sincerely, 

Attachments: 

Hemp Program Certification 

USDA Checklist for Approving State and Triba l Hemp Pl ans 

HB 1325 

TDA amended Proposed Rules 

TDA Information Gathering and Sharing Procedure 

TDA Sampling and Collection Procedure 

TDA Testing Procedure 

TDA Disposal Procedure 

Cc: Honorable Greg 

Abbott Honorable 

Ken Paxton 
HEMP PROGRAM CERTIFICATION 

Commissioner Sid Miller, Texas Department of Agriculture 

Date: January 7, 2020 

Pursuant to Section 297B(a)(2)(A)(vii) of the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, I certify 

that the Texas Department ofAgriculture has the resources and personnel necessary to carry out 

each of the practices and procedures identified in Section 297B(a)(2) of the Act. 

Respectfully, 

Commisioner 
H.B. No. 1325 

1 AN ACT 

2 relating to the production and regulation of hemp; requiring 

3 occupational licenses; authorizing fees; creating criminal 

4 offenses; providing civil and administrative penalties. 

5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 

6 SECTION 1. Section 12.020(c), Agriculture Code, is amended 

7 to read as follows: 

8 (c) The provisions of law subject to this section and the 

9 applicable penalty amounts are as fallows: 

10 

11 Provision 

12 

13 Chapters 13, 14A, 17, 18, 19, 41, 

14 46, 61, 72, 73, 74, 76, 94, 95, 101, 

15 102, 103, 122, 125, 132, 

16 and 134 

17 

18 

19 

20 Subchapters A, B, and C, Chapter 71 

21 Chapter 14 

22 Chapter 1951, Occupations Code 

23 Chapter 153, Natural Resources 

24 Code 

25 Section 91. 009 

Amount of Penalty 

not more than $5,000 

not more than $5,000 

not more than $10,000 

not more than $5,000 

not more than $5,000 

not more than $5,000. 

26 SECTION 2. Title 5, Agriculture Code, is amended by adding 

27 Subtitle F to read as follows: 

28 SUBTITLE F. HEMP 

29 CHAPTER 121. STATE HEMP PRODUCTION PLAN 

30 Sec. 121.001. DEFINITION. In this chapter, "hemp" means 

31 the plant Cannabis sativa L. and any part of that plant, including 

32 the seeds of the plant and all derivatives, extracts, cannabinoids, 

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isomers, acids, salts, and salts of isomers, whether growing or 

not, with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of not more 

than O. 3 percent on a dry weight basis. 

Sec. 121.002. LEGISLATIVE INTENT. It is the intent of the 

legislature that this state have primary regulatory authority over 

the production of hemp in this state. 

Sec. 121. 003. STATE PLAN. (a) The department, after 

consulting with the governor and attorney general, shall develop a 

state plan to monitor and regulate the production of hemp in this 

state. The plan must comply with: 

(1) 7 U.S.C. Section 1639p; 

(2) Chapter 122; and 

(3) Chapter 443, Health and Safety Code. 

(b) The department shall submit the plan developed under 

Subsection (a) to the secretary of the United States Department of 

Agriculture as this state's plan for monitoring and regulating the 

production of hemp as provided by 7 U.S. C. Section 1639p. 

(c) If a plan submitted under Subsection (b) is disapproved 

by the secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture, 

the department, after consulting with the governor and attorney 

general, shall amend the plan as needed to obtain approval and 

submit an amended plan. 

(d) The department shall, as necessary, seek technical 

assistance from the secretary of the United States Department of 

Agriculture and other state agencies in developing the plan under 

this section. 

Sec. 121.004. RULES. The department may adopt any rules 

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necessary to implement and administer the state plan under Section 

121.003. 

CHAPTER 12 2. CULTIVATION OF HEMP 

SUB CHAPTER A. GENERAL PROVISIONS 

Sec. 122. 001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter: 

(1) "Cultivate" means to plant, irrigate, cultivate, 

or harvest a hemp plant. 

( 2) "Governing person" has the meaning assigned by 

Section 1.002, Business Organizations Code. 

( 3) "Handle" means to possess or store a hemp plant: 

(A) on premises owned, operated, or controlled by 

a license holder for any period of time; or 

(B) in a vehicle for any period of time other than 

during the actual transport of the plant from a premises owned, 

operated, or controlled by a license holder to: 

(i) a premises owned, operated, or 

controlled by another license holder; or 

(ii) a person licensed under Chapter 443, 

Health and Safety Code. 

(4) "Hemp" has the meaning assigned by Section 

121. 001. 

( 5) "Institution of higher education" has the meaning 

assigned by Section 61. 003, Education Code. 

(6) "License" means a hemp grower's license issued 

under Subchapter C. 

(7) "License holder" means an individual or business 

entity holding a license. 

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(8) "Nonconsumable hemp product" means a product that 

contains hemp, other than a consumable hemp product as defined by 

Section 443.001, Health and Safety Code. The term includes cloth, 

cordage, fiber, fuel, paint, paper, particleboard, and plastics 

derived from hemp. 

(9) "Plot" means a contiguous area in a field, 

greenhouse, or indoor growing structure containing the same variety 

or cultivar of hemp throughout the area. 

Sec. 122.002. LOCAL REGULATION PROHIBITED. A municipality, 

county, or other political subdivision of this state may not enact, 

adopt, or enforce a rule, ordinance, order, resolution, or other 

regulation that prohibits the cultivation, handling, 

transportation, or sale of hemp as authorized by this chapter. 

Sec. 122.003. STATE HEMP PRODUCTION ACCOUNT. (a) The state 

hemp production account is an account in the general revenue fund 

administered by the department. 

(b} The account consists of: 

( 1) appropriations of money to the account by the 

legislature; 

(2) public or private gifts, gr ants, or donations, 

including federal funds, received for the account; 

(3) fees received under Section 122.052; 

(4) interest and income earned on the investment of 

money in the account; 

(5) penalties collected under this chapter other than 

a civil penalty collected under Subchapter H; and 

(6) funds from any other source deposited in the 

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account. 

(c) The department may accept appropriations and gifts, 

grants, or donations from any source to administer and enforce this 

subtitle. Money received under this subsection shall be deposited 

in the account. 

(d) Money in the account may be appropriated only to the 

department for the administration and enforcement of this subtitle. 

Sec. 122.004. SEVERABILITY. (a) A provision of this 

chapter or its application to any person or circumstance is invalid 

if the secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture 

determines that the provision or application conflicts with 7 

U.S.C. Chapter 38, Subchapter VII, and prevents the approval of the 

state plan submitted under Chapter 121. 

(b) The invalidity of a provision or application under 

Subsection {a) does not affect the other provisions or applications 

of this chapter that can be given effect without the invalid 

provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this 

chapter are declared to be severable. 

SUBCHAPTER B. POWERS AND DUTIES OF DEPARTMENT 

Sec. 122. 051. DEPARTMENT RULES AND PROCEDURES. ( a) The 

department shall adopt rules and procedures necessary to implement, 

administer, and enforce this chapter. 

(b) Rules adopted under Subsection {a) must: 

(1) prescribe sampling, inspection, and testing 

procedures, including standards and procedures for the calibration 

of laboratory equipment, to ensure that the delta-9 

tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of hemp plants cultivated in 

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this state is not more than 0. 3 percent on a dry weight basis; and 

(2) provide due process consistent with Chapter 2001, 

Government Code, including an appeals process, to protect license 

holders from the consequences of imperfect test results. 

Sec. 122. 052. FEES. (a) The department shall set and 

collect: 

(1) an application fee for an initial license in an 

amount not to exceed $100; 

(2) a license renewal fee in an amount not to exceed 

$100; 

( 3) a participation fee for each location described by 

Section 122 .103 ( a) ( 1) and each location added after the application 

is submitted in an amount not to exceed $100; 

(4) a site modification fee for each change to a 

location described by Section 122.103(a)(l) in an amount not to 

exceed $500; and 

(5) a collection and testing fee for each preharvest 

test or postharvest test if performed by the department in an amount 

not to exceed $300. 

(b) A fee set by the department under this section may not 

exceed the amount necessary to administer this chapter. The 

comptroller may authorize the department to collect a fee described 

by Subsection (a) in an amount greater than the maximum amount 

provided by that subsection if necessary to cover the department's 

costs of administering this chapter. 

(c) The department may not set or collect a fee associated 

with the cultivation of hemp that is not listed in Subsection (a), 

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other than: 

(1) a fee for the organic certification of hemp under 

Chapter 18 or for participation in another optional marketing 

program; or 

(2) a fee for the certification of seed or plants under 

Chapter 62. 

(d) Fees collected by the department under this chapter are 

not refundable and may be appropriated only to the department for 

the purpose of administering this chapter. 

Sec. 122.053. INSPECTIONS. (a) The department may 

randomly inspect land where hemp is grown to determine whether hemp 

is being cultivated in compliance with this chapter. 

(b) The department may enter onto land described by Section 

122 .103 ( a) ( 1) , conduct inspections, and collect and test plant 

samples. 

(c) Using participation fees set and collected under 

Section 122. 052 ( a) {3), the department shall pay the cost of 

inspections under this section. 

{d) The Department of Public Safety may inspect, collect 

samples from, or test plants from any portion of a plot to ensure 

compliance with this chapter. A-license holder shall allow the 

Department of Public Safety access to the plot and the property on 

which the plot is located for purposes of this subsection. 

(e) If, after conducting an inspection or performing 

testing under this section, the department or the Department of 

Public Safety determines any portion of a plot is not compliant with 

this chapter, the department or the Department of Public Safety may 

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report the license holder to the other department or to the attorney 

general. 

Sec. 122.054. SAMPLE COLLECTION AND TESTING. The 

department may collect samples and perform testing or contract with 

a laboratory for the performance of that collection and testing on 

behalf of the department. A test performed by a laboratory on behalf 

of the department is considered to be performed by the department 

for purposes of this chapter. 

Sec. 122.055. SHIPPING CERTIFICATE OR CARGO MANIFEST. (a} 

The department shall develop a shipping certificate or cargo 

manifest which the department shall issue to a license holder in 

connection with the transportation of a shipment of hemp plant 

material originating in this state, other than sterilized seeds 

that are incapable of beginning germination. 

(b} A certificate or manifest developed under Subsection 

(a) must include a unique identifying number for the shipment and 

the department's contact information to allow law enforcement 

during a roadside inspection of a motor vehicle transporting the 

shipment to verify that the shipment consists of hemp cultivated in 

compliance with this chapter. 

(c} The department may coordinate with the Department of 

Public Safety to determine whether information included on a 

certificate or manifest issued under Subsection (a), including the 

unique identifying number, may be made available to law enforcement 

personnel through the Texas Law Enforcement Telecommunications 

System or a successor system of telecommunication used by law 

enforcement agencies and operated by the Department of Public 

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Safety. 

(d) A person commits an offense if the person, with intent 

to deceive law enforcement, forges, falsifies, or alters a shipping 

certificate or cargo manifest issued under this section. An 

offense under this subsection is a third degree felony. 

SUBCHAPTER C. HEMP GROWER'S LICENSE 

Sec. 122.101. LICENSE REQUIRED; EXCEPTIONS. (a) Except as 

provided by Subsection (b), a person or the person's agent may not 

cultivate or handle hemp in this state or transport hemp outside of 

this state unless the person holds a license under this subchapter. 

{b) A person is not required to hold a license under this 

subchapter to manufacture a consumable hemp product in accordance 

with Subtitle A, Title 6, Health and Safety Code. 

Sec. 122 .102. LICENSE INELIGIBILITY. (a) An individual 

who is or has been convicted of a felony relating to a controlled 

substance under federal law or the law of any state may not, before 

the 10th anniversary of the date of the conviction: 

(1) hold a license under this subchapter; or 

(2) be a governing person of a business entity that 

holds a license under this subchapter. 

{b) The department may not issue a license under this 

subchapter to a person who materially falsifies any information 

contained in an application submitted to the department under 

Section 122.103. 

Sec. 122. 103. APPLICATION; ISSUANCE. (a) A person may 

apply for a license under this subchapter by submitting an 

application to the department on a form and in the manner prescribed 

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by the department. The application must be accompanied by: 

( 1) a legal description of each location where the 

applicant intends to cultivate or handle hemp and the global 

positioning system coordinates for the perimeter of each location; 

( 2) written consent from the applicant or the property 

owner if the applicant is not the property owner allowing the 

department, the Department of Public Safety, and any other state or 

local law enforcement agency to enter onto all premises where hemp 

is cultivated or handled to conduct a physical inspection or to 

ensure compliance with this chapter and rules adopted under this 

chapter; 

( 3) the application fee; and 

( 4) any other information required by department rule. 

(b) Except as provided by Subsection (c), the department 

shall issue a license to a qualified applicant not later than the 

60th day after the date the department receives the completed 

application and the required application fees. 

(c) A qualified applicant who along with the application 

submits proof to the department that the applicant holds a license 

under Chapter 487, Health and Safety Code, is not required to pay an 

application fee, and the department shall issue the license to the 

applicant within the time prescribed by Subsection (b). 

Sec. 122.104. TERM; RENEWAL. (a) A license is valid for 

one year and may be renewed as provided by this section. 

(b) The department shall renew a license if the license 

holder: 

(1) is not ineligible to hold the license under 

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Section 122.102; 

(2) submits to the department the license renewal fee; 

and 

( 3) does not owe any outstanding fee described by 

Section 122.052. 

Sec. 122.105. REVOCATION. The department shall revoke a 

license if the license holder is convicted of a felony relating to a 

controlled substance under federal law or the law of any state. 

SUBCHAPTER D. TESTING 

Sec. 122. 151. TESTING LABORATORIES. (a) Subject to 

Subsection (b), testing under this subchapter or Section 122.053 

must be performed by: 

( 1) the department ; 

( 2) an institution of higher education; or 

(3) an independent testing laboratory registered 

under Section 122.152. 

(b) To perform testing under this chapter, a laboratory 

described by Subsection (a) must be accredited by an independent 

accreditation body in accordance with International Organization 

for Standardization ISO/IEC 17025 or a comparable or successor 

standard. 

(c) A license holder shall select a laboratory described by 

Subsection (a) to perform preharvest or postharvest testing of a 

sample taken from the license holder's plot. A license holder may 

not select an independent testing laboratory under Subsection 

(a) ( 3) unless the license holder has: 

( 1) no ownership interest in the laboratory; or 

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(2) less than a 10 percent ownership interest in the 

laboratory if the laboratory is a publicly traded company. 

(d} A license holder must pay the costs of preharvest or 

postharvest sample collection and testing in the amount prescribed 

by the laboratory selected by the license holder. 

( e} The department shall recognize and accept the results of 

a test performed by an institution of higher education or an 

independent testing laboratory described by Subsection (a}. The 

department shall require that a copy of the test results be sent by 

the institution of higher education or independent testing 

laboratory directly to the department and the license holder. 

{f} The department shall notify the license holder of the 

results of the test not later than the 14th day after the date the 

sample was collected under Section 122.154 or the date the 

department receives test results under Subsection ( e}. 

Sec. 122.152. REGISTRATION OF INDEPENDENT TESTING 

LABORATORIES. ( a) The department shall register independent 

testing laboratories authorized to conduct testing under Section 

122.151{a}{3}. 

{b} A laboratory is eligible for registration if the 

laboratory submits to the department proof of accreditation by an 

independent accreditation body in accordance with International 

Organization for Standardization ISO/IEC 17025 or a comparable or 

successor standard and any required fee. 

(c} The department shall annually prepare a registry of all 

independent testing laboratories registered by the department and 

make the registry available to license holders. 

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(d) The department may charge a registration fee to recover 

the costs of administering this section. 

Sec. 122.153. PREHARVEST TESTING REQUIRED. (a) A license 

holder may not harvest a hemp plant or plant intended or believed to 

be hemp unless a representative sample of plants from the plot where 

the plant is grown is collected before harvest and subsequently 

tested using post-decarboxylation, high-performance liquid 

chromatography, or another similarly reliable method to determine 

the delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of the sample in the 

manner required by this subchapter. 

(b) For purposes of Subsection (a), a representative sample 

of plants from a plot consists of cuttings taken from at least five 

plants throughout the plot. The department by rule shall prescribe 

the minimum distance between plants from which cuttings may be 

taken based on the size of the plot. 

(c) A laboratory performing preharvest testing under this 

section shall homogenize all the cuttings in the sample and test the 

delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of a random sample of 

the homogenized material. 

( d) This section does not prohibit a license holder from 

harvesting plants immediately after a preharvest sample is 

collected. 

Sec. 122.154. PREHARVEST SAMPLE COLLECTION. (a) A license 

holder shall notify the department at least 20 days before the date 

the license holder expects to harvest plants from a plot in the 

manner prescribed by department rule. 

(b) A sample must be collected by the department or another 

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entity described by Section 122.lSl(a) for purposes of preharvest 

testing under Section 122 .153. 

(c) The department by rule may prescribe reasonable 

procedures for submitting a preharvest sample collected under this 

section to a testing laboratory selected by the license holder. 

Sec. 122.155. OPTIONAL POSTHARVEST TESTING. (a) The 

department by rule shall allow a license holder to have a single 

postharvest test performed on a representative sample of plants 

from a plot if the results of the preharvest test representing the 

plot show a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of more than 

0. 3 percent on a dry weight basis. 

(b) The department by rule shall prescribe the requirements 

for a representative sample and for sample collection under this 

section. 

{c) If a license holder fails to request postharvest testing 

on or before the 15th day after the date the license holder is 

notified of the results of the preharvest test, the results of the 

preharvest test are final. 

Sec. 122. 156. SHIPPING DOCUMENTATION FOR TEST SAMPLES. The 

department shall issue documentation to an entity authorized to 

collect samples of plants for testing that authorizes the 

transportation of those samples from the place of collection to a 

testing laboratory described by Section 122 .151 (a). 

Sec. 122. 157. FALSE LABORATORY REPORT; CRIMINAL OFFENSE. 

(a) A person commits an offense if the person, with the intent to 

deceive, forges, falsifies, or alters the results of a laboratory 

test required or authorized under this chapter. 

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(b) An offense under Subsection (a) is a third degree 

felony. 

SUBCHAPTER E. HARVEST AND USE OR DISPOSAL OF PLANTS 

Sec. 122.201. HARVEST. (a) A license holder shall harvest 

the plants from a plot not later than the 20th day after the date a 

preharvest sample is collected under Section 122.154 unless field 

conditions delay harvesting or the department authorizes the 

license holder to delay harvesting. This subsection does not 

prohibit the license holder from harvesting the plants immediately 

after the preharvest sample is collected. 

{b) A license holder may not sell or use harvested plants 

before the results of a preharvest and, if applicable, postharvest 

test performed on a sample representing the plants are received. If 

the test results are not received before the plants are harvested, 

the license holder shall dry and store the harvested plants until 

the results are received. 

( c) A license holder may not commingle harvested plants 

represented by one sample with plants represented by another sample 

until the results of the tests are received. 

Sec. 122.202. USE OR DISPOSAL OF HARVESTED PLANTS. (a) If 

the results of a preharvest or postharvest test performed on a 

sample show a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of not 

more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis, the license holder may 

sell or use the plants represented by the sample for any purpose 

allowed by law. 

(b) If the results of a preharvest and, if applicable, 

postharvest test performed on a sample show a delta-9 

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tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of more than 0.3 percent on a 

dry weight basis: 

(1) the license holder shall dispose of or destroy all 

plants represented by the sample: 

(A) in the manner prescribed by federal law; or 

(B} in a manner approved by the department that 

does not conflict with federal law; or 

(2) if the department determines the plants 

represented by the sample reached that concentration solely as a 

result of negligence, the license holder is subject to Section 

122.403(c) and may: 

(A} trim the plants until the delta-9 

tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of the plants is not more than 

0.3 percent on a dry weight basis and dispose of the noncompliant 

parts of the plants in a manner approved by the department; 

(B} process the plants into fiber with a delta-9 

tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of not more than 0.3 percent on 

a dry weight basis and dispose of any remaining parts of the plants 

in a manner approved by the department; or 

(C} take any other corrective action consistent 

with federal regulations adopted under 7 U.S.C. Chapter 38, 

Subchapter VII. 

SUBCHAPTER F. HEMP SEED 

Sec. 122. 251. APPLICABILITY OF SUBCHAPTER. This subchapter 

does not apply to sterilized seeds that are incapable of beginning 

germination. 

Sec. 122.252. CERTIFICATION OR APPROVAL. (a) The 

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department or an entity authorized to certify seed under Chapter 62 

shall identify and certify or approve seed confirmed to produce 

hemp. 

(b} The department or entity may not certify or approve a 

variety of hemp seed if the seed is tested and confirmed to produce 

a plant that has delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of more 

than O. 3 percent on a dry weight basis. For purposes of this 

subsection, the department may partner with a private entity or an 

institution of higher education to test seed for the purpose of 

certification or approval under this section. 

(c} The department may authorize the importation of hemp 

seed certified in accordance with the law of another state or 

jurisdiction that requires as a condition of certification that 

hemp be produced in compliance with: 

(1) that state or jurisdiction's plan approved by the 

United States Department of Agriculture under 7 U.S. C. Section 

1639p; or 

(2) a plan established under 7 U.S.C. Section 1639g if 

that plan applies in the state or jurisdiction. 

(d} The department shall maintain and make available to 

license holders a list of hemp seeds certified or approved under 

this section. 

Sec. 122. 253. PROHIBITED USE OF CERTAIN HEMP SEED. A person 

may not sell, offer for sale, distribute, or use hemp seed in this 

state unless the seed is certified or approved under Section 

122.252. 

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SUBCHAPTER G. NONCONSUMABLE HEMP PRODUCTS 

Sec. 122. 301. MANUFACTURE. (a) Except as provided by 

Subsection (b), a state agency may not prohibit a person who 

manufactures a product regulated by the agency, other than an 

article regulated under Chapter 431, Health and Safety Code, from 

applying for or obtaining a permit or other authorization to 

manufacture the product solely on the basis that the person intends 

to manufacture the product as a nonconsumable hemp product. 

(b) A state agency may not authorize a person to manufacture 

a product containing hemp for smoking, as defined by Section 

443. 001, Health and Safety Code. 

Sec. 122.302. POSSESSION, TRANSPORTATION, AND SALE. (a) 

Notwithstanding any other law, a person may possess, transport, 

sell, and purchase legally produced nonconsumable hemp products in 

this state. 

(b) The department by rule must provide to a retailer of 

nonconsumable hemp products fair notice of a potential violation 

concerning hemp products sold by the retailer and an opportunity to 

cure a violation made unintentionally or negligently. 

Sec. 122. 303. RETAIL SALE OF OUT-OF-STATE PRODUCTS. A 

nonconsumable hemp product manufactured outside of this state may 

be sold at retail in this state unless: 

( 1) the hemp used to manufacture the product was 

cultivated illegally; or 

( 2) the retail sale of the product in this state 

violates federal law. 

Sec. 122.304. TRANSPORTATION AND EXPORTATION OUT OF STATE. 

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Nonconsumable hemp products may be legally transported across state 

lines and exported to foreign jurisdictions in a manner that is 

consistent with federal law and the laws of respective foreign 

jurisdictions. 

SUBCHAPTER H. TRANSPORTATION REQUIREMENTS 

Sec. 122.351. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "peace 

officer II has the meaning assigned by Article 2 .12, Code of Criminal 

Procedure. 

Sec. 122. 352. POLICY. It is the policy of this state to not 

interfere with the interstate commerce of hemp or the transshipment 

of hemp through this state. 

Sec. 122.353. INTERSTATE TRANSPORTATION. To the extent of 

a conflict between a provision of this chapter and a provision of 

federal law involving interstate transportation of hemp, including 

a United States Department of Agriculture regulation, federal law 

controls and conflicting provisions of this chapter do not apply. 

Sec. 122. 354. DEPARTMENT RULES. The department, in 

consultation with the Department of Public Safety, shall adopt 

rules regulating the transportation of hemp in this state to ensure 

that illegal marihuana is not transported into or through this 

state disguised as legal hemp. 

Sec. 122.355. HEMP TRANSPORTATION ACCOUNT. (a) The hemp 

transportation account is a dedicated account in the general 

revenue fund administered by the department. The account consists 

of: 

(1) civil penalties collected under this subchapter; 

and 

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(2) interest and income earned on the investment of 

money in the account. 

(b) Money in the account may be appropriated only to the 

department for the administration and enforcement of this 

subchapter. The department may transfer money appropriated under 

this subsection to the Department of Public Safety for the 

administration and enforcement of that department's powers and 

duties under this sub chapter, unless prohibited by other law. 

Sec. 122.356. DOCUMENTATION AND OTHER SHIPPING 

REQUIREMENTS. (a) A person may not transport hemp plant material 

in this state unless the hemp: 

( 1) is produced in compliance with: 

(A) a state or tribal plan approved by the United 

States Department of Agriculture under 7 U.S. C. Section 1639p; or 

(B} a plan established under 7 U.S.C. Section 

1639g if the hemp was cultivated in an area where that plan applies; 

and 

( 2) is accompanied by: 

(A) a shipping certificate or cargo manifest 

issued under Section 122.055 if the hemp originated in this state; 

or 

(B) documentation containing the name and 

address of the place where the hemp was cultivated and a statement 

that the hemp was produced in compliance with 7 U.S.C. Chapter 38, 

Subchapter VII, if the hemp originated outside this state. 

(b) A person transporting hemp plant material in this state: 

(1) may not concurrently transport any cargo that is 

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not hemp plant material; and 

(2) shall furnish the documentation required by this 

section to the department or any peace officer on request. 

Sec. 122.357. AGRICULTURAL PESTS AND DISEASES. A person 

may not transport in this state hemp that contains an agricultural 

pest or disease as provided by department rule. 

Sec. 122.358. POWERS AND DUTIES OF PEACE OFFICERS. (a) A 

peace officer may inspect and collect a reasonably sized sample of 

any material from the plant Cannabis sativa L. found in a vehicle to 

determine the delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of the 

plant material. Unless a peace officer has probable cause to 

believe the plant material is mar ihuana, the peace officer may not: 

(1) seize the plant material; or 

(2) arrest the person transporting the plant material. 

(b) A peace officer may detain any hemp being transported in 

this state until the person transporting the hemp provides the 

documentation required by Section 122.356. The peace officer shall 

immediately release the hemp to the person if the person produces 

documentation required by that section. 

(c) If a peace officer has probable cause to believe that a 

person transporting hemp in this state is also transporting 

mar ihuana or a controlled substance, as defined by Section 481. 002, 

Health and Safety Code, or any other illegal substance under state 

or federal law, the peace officer may seize and impound the hemp 

along with the controlled or illegal substance. 

(d) This subchapter does not limit or restrict a peace 

officer from enforcing to the fullest extent the laws of this state 

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regulating mar ihuana and controlled substances, as defined by 

Section 481. 002, Health and Safety Code. 

Sec. 122. 359. CIVIL PENALTY. (a) A person who violates 

Section 122.356 is liable to this state for a civil penalty in an 

amount not to exceed $500 for each violation. 

(b) The attorney general or any district or county attorney 

may bring an action to recover the civil penalty. 

(c) A civil penalty collected under this section must be 

deposited in the hemp transportation account under Section 122. 355. 

Sec. 122. 360. CRIMINAL OFFENSE. ( a} A person commits an 

offense if the person violates Section 122. 356. 

(b) An offense under this section is a misdemeanor 

punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000. 

SUBCHAPTER I. ENFORCEMENT; PENALTIES 

Sec. 122. 401. PENALTY SCHEDULE. ( a) The department by rule 

shall adopt a schedule of sanctions and penalties for violations of 

this chapter and rules adopted under this chapter that does not 

conflict with 7 U.S.C. Section 1639p(e). 

(b) A penalty collected under this chapter other than a 

civil penalty collected under Subchapter H must be deposited in the 

state hemp production account under Section 122. 003. 

Sec. 122.402. ADMINISTRATIVE PENALTY. Except as provided 

by Section 122. 403 and to the extent permitted under 7 U.S. C. 

Section 1639p ( e), the department may impose an administrative 

penalty or other administrative sanction for a violation of this 

chapter or a rule or order adopted under this chapter, including a 

penalty or sanction under Section 12. 020 or 12. 0201. 

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Sec. 122.403. NEGLIGENT VIOLATIONS BY LICENSE HOLDER. (a) 

If the department determines that a license holder negligently 

violated this chapter or a rule adopted under this chapter, the 

department shall enforce the violation in the manner provided by 7 

U.S.C. Section 1639p(e}. 

(b) A license holder described by Subsection ( a} is not 

subject to a civil, criminal, or administrative enforcement action 

other than an enforcement action provided by this chapter. 

(c} A license holder who violates this chapter by 

cultivating plants described by Section 122. 202 (b} ( 2}: 

( 1} must comply with an enhanced testing protocol 

developed by the department; 

( 2} shall pay a fee in the amount of $500 for each 

violation to cover the department's costs of administering the 

enhanced testing protocol; and 

( 3} shall be included on a list maintained by the 

department of license holders with negligent violations, which is 

public information for purposes of Chapter 552, Government Code. 

(d) A person who negligently violates this chapter three 

times in any five-year period may not cultivate, process, or 

otherwise produce hemp in this state before the fifth anniversary 

of the date of the third violation. The department shall include 

each person subject to this subsection on a list of banned 

producers, which is public information for purposes of Chapter 552, 

Government Code. 

Sec. 122.404. OTHER VIOLATIONS BY LICENSE HOLDER. If the 

department suspects or determines that a license holder violated 

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this chapter or a rule adopted under this chapter with a culpable 

mental state greater than negligence, the department shall 

immediately report the license holder to: 

( 1) the United States attorney general; and 

( 2} the attorney general of this state, who may: 

(A} investigate the violation; 

(B) institute proceedings for injunctive or 

other appropriate relief on behalf of the department; or 

(C) report the matter to the Department of Public 

Safety and any other appropriate law enforcement agency. 

SECTION 3. Subchapter A, Chapter 141, Agriculture Code, is 

amended by adding Section 141.008 to read as follows: 

Sec. 141. 008. HEMP IN COMMERCIAL FEED. The service may 

adopt rules authorizing, defining, and controlling the use of hemp 

and hemp products in commercial feed. 

SECTION 4. Subchapt er A, Chapter 4 31, Health and Safety 

Code, is amended by adding Section 431. 011 to read as follows: 

Sec. 431.011. APPLICABILITY OF CHAPTER TO CONSUMABLE HEMP 

PRODUCTS AND MANUFACTURERS. ( a) This chapter applies to a 

consumable hemp product subject to Chapter 443. An article 

regulated under this chapter may not be deemed to be adulterated 

solely on the basis that the article is a consumable hemp product. 

(b) Except as provided by Subsection ( c) , this chapter 

applies to the conduct of a person who holds a license under Chapter 

443. 

(c) A person who holds a license under Chapter 443 related 

to the processing of hemp or the manufacturing of a consumable hemp 

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1 product regulated under that chapter and is engaging in conduct 

2 within the scope of that license is not required to hold a license 

3 as a food manufacturer or food wholesaler under Subchapter J. 

4 SECTION 5. Section 431. 043, Health and Safety Code, is 

amended to read as follows: 

6 Sec. 431.043. ACCESS TO RECORDS. A person who is required 

7 to maintain records under this chapter or Section 519 or 520(g) of 

8 the federal Act or a person who is in charge or custody of those 

9 records shall, at the request of the department or a health 

authority, permit the department or health authority at all 

11 reasonable times access to and to copy and verify the recordsL 

12 including records that verify that the hemp in a consumable hemp 

13 product was produced in accordance with Chapter 122, Agriculture 

14 Code, or 7 U.S. C. Chapter 38, Subchapter VII. 

SECTION 6. Section 431. 2211, Health and Safety Code, is 

16 amended by adding Subsection ( a-3) to read as follows: 

17 (a-3) A person is not required to hold a license under this 

18 subchapter if the person holds a license under Chapter 443 and is 

19 engaging in conduct within the scope of that license. 

SECTION 7. Subtitle A, Title 6, Health and Safety Code, is 

21 amended by adding Chapter 443 to read as fallows: 

22 CHAPTER 443. MANUFACTURE, DISTRIBUTION, AND SALE OF CONSUMABLE 

2 3 HEMP PRODUCTS 

24 SUBCHAPTER A. GENERAL PROVISIONS 

Sec. 443. 001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter: 

26 (1) 11 Consumable hemp product" means food, a drug, a 

27 device, or a cosmetic, as those terms are defined by Section 

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431.002, that contains hemp or one or more hemp-derived 

cannabinoids, including cannabidiol. 

( 2) "Department" means the Department of State Health 

Services. 

( 3) "Establishment" means each location where a person 

processes hemp or manufactures a consumable hemp product. 

(4) "Executive commissioner" means the executive 

commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission. 

(5) "Hemp" has the meaning assigned by Sect ion 

121.001, Agriculture Code. 

(6) "License" means a consumable hemp product 

manufacturer's license issued under this chapter. 

(7) "License holder" means an individual or business 

entity holding a license. 

(8) "Manufacture" has the meaning assigned by Section 

431. 002. 

( 9) "ProcessII means to extract a component of hemp, 

including cannabidiol or another cannabinoid, that is: 

(A) sold as a consumable hemp product; 

(B) offered for sale as a consumable hemp 

eroduct; 

( C) incorporated into a consumable hemp product; 

.2!. 

(D) intended to be incorporated into a consumable 

hemp product. 

( 10) "QR code" means a quick response machine-readable 

code that can be read by a camera, consisting of an array of black 

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and white squares used for storing information or directing or 

leading a user to additional information. 

(11) "Smoking" means burning or igniting a substance 

and inhaling the smoke or heating a substance and inhaling the 

resulting vapor or aerosol. 

Sec. 443.002. APPLICABILITY OF OTHER LAW. Except as 

provided by Section 431.0ll(c), Chapter 431 applies to a license 

holder and a consumable hemp product regulated under this chapter. 

Sec. 443. 003. LOCAL REGULATION PROHIBITED. A municipality, 

county, or other political subdivision of this state may not enact, 

adopt, or enforce a rule, ordinance, order, resolution, or other 

regulation that prohibits the processing of hemp or the 

manufacturing or sale of a consumable hemp product as authorized by 

this chapter. 

Sec. 443.004. SEVERABILITY. (a) A provision of this 

chapter or its application to any person or circumstance is invalid 

if the secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture 

determines that the provision or application conflicts with 7 

U.S.C. Chapter 38, Subchapter VII, and prevents the approval of the 

state plan submitted under Chapter 121, Agriculture Code. 

(b) The invalidity of a provision or application under 

Subsection {a) does not affect the other provisions or applications 

of this chapter that can be given effect without the invalid 

provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this 

chapter are declared to be severable. 

SUBCHAPTER B. POWERS AND DUTIES 

Sec. 443.051. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY OF EXECUTIVE 

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COMMISSIONER. The executive commissioner shall adopt rules and 

procedures necessary to administer and enforce this chapter. Rules 

and procedures adopted under this section must be consistent with: 

( 1) an approved state plan submitted to the United 

States Department of Agriculture under Chapter 121, Agriculture 

Code; and 

(2) 7 U.S.C. Chapter 38, Subchapter VII, and federal 

regulations adopted under that subchapter. 

SUBCHAPTER C. CONSUMABLE HEMP PRODUCT MANUFACTURER LICENSE 

Sec. 443.101. LICENSE REQUIRED; EXCEPTIONS. A person may 

not process hemp or manufacture a consumable hemp product in this 

state unless the person holds a license under this subchapter. 

Sec. 443 .102. LICENSE INELIGIBILITY. ( a) An individual 

who is or has been convicted of a felony relating to a controlled 

substance under federal law or the law of any state may not, before 

the 10th anniversary of the date of the conviction: 

( 1) hold a license under this subchapter; or 

( 2) be a governing person of an establishment that 

holds a license under this subchapter. 

(b) The department may not issue a license under this 

subchapter to a person who materially falsifies any information 

contained in an application submitted to the department under 

Section 443 .103. 

Sec. 443.103. APPLICATION; ISSUANCE. An individual or 

establishment may apply for a license under this subchapter by 

submitting an application to the department on a form and in the 

manner prescribed by the department. The application must be 

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accompanied by: 

(1) a legal description of each location where the 

applicant intends to process hemp or manufacture consumable hemp 

products and the global positioning system coordinates for the 

perimeter of each location; 

(2) written consent from the applicant or the property 

owner if the applicant is not the property owner allowing the 

department, the Department of Public Safety, and any other state or 

local law enforcement agency to enter onto all premises where hemp 

is processed or consumable hemp products are manufactured to 

conduct a physical inspection or to ensure compliance with this 

chapter and rules adopted under this chapter; 

(3) any fees required by the department to be 

submitted with the application; and 

(4) any other information required by department rule. 

Sec. 443.104. TERM; RENEWAL. (a) A license is valid for 

one year and may be renewed as provided by this section. 

(b) The department shall renew a license if the license 

holder: 

(1) is not ineligible to hold the license under 

Sect ion 443. 102; 

(2) submits to the department any license renewal fee; 

and 

(3) does not owe any outstanding fees to the 

department. 

Sec. 443.105. REVOCATION. The department shall revoke a 

license if the license holder is convicted of a felony relating to a 

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controlled substance under federal law or the law of any state. 

SUBCHAPTER D. TESTING OF CONSUMABLE HEMP PRODUCTS 

Sec. 443 .151. TESTING REQUIRED. ( a) A consumable hemp 

product must be tested as provided by: 

(1) Subsections (b) and (c); or 

(2) Subsection (d). 

(b) Before a hemp plant is processed or otherwise used in 

the manufacture of a consumable hemp product, a sample representing 

the plant must be tested, as required by the executive 

commissioner, to determine: 

( 1) the concentration of various cannabinoids; and 

(2) the presence or quantity of heavy metals, 

pesticides, and any other substance prescribed by the department. 

(c) Before material extracted from hemp by processing is 

sold as, offered for sale as, or incorporated into a consumable hemp 

product, the material must be tested, as required by the executive 

commissioner, to determine: 

( 1) the presence of harmful microorganisms; and 

( 2) the presence or quantity of: 

(A) any residual solvents used in processing, if 

applicable; and 

(B) any other substance prescribed by the 

department. 

(d) Except as otherwise provided by Subsection (e), before a 

consumable hemp product is sold at retail or otherwise introduced 

into commerce in this state, a sample representing the hemp product 

must be tested: 

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(1) by a laboratory that is accredited by an 

accreditation body in accordance with International Organization 

for Standardization ISO/IEC 17025 or a comparable or successor 

standard to determine the delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol 

concentration of the product; and 

(2) by an appropriate laboratory to determine that the 

product does not contain a substance described by Subsection (b) or 

(c) in a quantity prohibited for purposes of those subsections. 

(e) A consumable hemp product is not required to be tested 

under Subsection (d) if each hemp-derived ingredient of the 

product: 

(1) has been tested in accordance with: 

(A) Subsections (b) and (c); or 

(B) Subsection (d); and 

(2) does not have a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol 

concentration of more than O. 3 percent. 

Sec. 443.152. PROVISIONS RELATED TO TESTING. ( a) A 

consumable hemp product that has a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol 

concentration of more than 0.3 percent may not be sold at retail or 

otherwise introduced into commerce in this state. 

(b) A person licensed under Chapter 122, Agriculture Code, 

shall provide to a license holder who is processing hemp harvested 

by the person or otherwise using that hemp to manufacture a 

consumable hemp product the results of a test conducted under that 

chapter, if available, as proof that the delta-9 

tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of the hemp does not exceed 0.3 

percent, including for purposes of Section 443.151(b) (1). 

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(c) A license holder shall make available to a seller of a 

consumable hemp product processed or manufactured by the license 

holder the results of testing required by Section 443.151. The 

results may accompany a shipment to the seller or be made available 

to the seller electronically. If the results are not able to be 

made available, the seller may have the testing required under 

Section 443.151 performed on the product and shall make the results 

available to a consumer. 

SUBCHAPTER E. RETAIL SALE OF CONSUMABLE HEMP PRODUCTS 

Sec. 443.201. POSSESSION, TRANSPORTATION, AND SALE OF 

CONSUMABLE HEMP PRODUCTS. (a) A person may possess, transport, 

sell, or purchase a consumable hemp product processed or 

manufactured in compliance with this chapter. 

(b) The executive commissioner by rule must provide to a 

retailer of consumable hemp products fair notice of a potential 

violation concerning consumable hemp products sold by the retailer 

and an opportunity to cure a violation made unintentionally or 

negligently. 

Sec. 443.202. REGULATION OF CERTAIN CANNABINOID OILS. (a) 

This section does not apply to low-THC cannabis regulated under 

Chapter 487. 

(b) Notwithstanding any other law, a person may not sell, 

offer for sale, possess, distribute, or transport a cannabinoid 

oil, including cannabidiol oil, in this state: 

( 1) if the oil contains any material extracted or 

derived from the plant Cannabis sativa L., other than from hemp 

produced in compliance with 7 u.s.c. Chapter 38, Subchapter VII; 

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and 

( 2) unless a sample representing the oil has been 

tested by a laboratory that is accredited by an independent 

accreditation body in accordance with International Organization 

for Standardization ISO/IEC 17025 or a comparable or successor 

standard and found to have a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol 

concentration of not more than O. 3 percent. 

( c) The department and the Department of Public Safety shall 

establish a process for the random testing of cannabinoid oil, 

including cannabidiol oil, at various retail and other 

establishments that sell, offer for sale, distribute, or use the 

oil to ensure that the oil: 

( 1) does not contain harmful ingredients; 

(2) is produced in compliance with 7 U.S.C. Chapter 

38, Subchapter VII; and 

(3) has a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration 

of not more than O. 3 percent. 

Sec. 443.2025. REGISTRATION REQUIRED FOR RETAILERS OF 

CERTAIN PRODUCTS. ( a} This section does not apply to low-THC 

cannabis regulated under Chapter 487. 

(b} A person may not sell consumable hemp products 

containing cannabidiol at retail in this state unless the person 

registers with the department each location owned, operated, or 

controlled by the person at which those products are sold. A person 

is not required to register a location associated with an employee 

or independent contr actor described by Subsection (d) . 

(c) The department may issue a single registration under 

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Subsection {b) covering multiple locations owned, operated, or 

controlled by a person. 

(d) A person is not required to register with the department 

under Subsection {b) if the person is: 

(1) an employee of a registrant; or 

(2) an independent contractor of a registrant who 

sells the registrant's products at retail. 

{e) A registration is valid for one year and may be renewed 

as prescribed by department rule. 

(f) The department by rule may adopt a registration fee 

schedule that establishes reasonable fee amounts for the 

registration of: 

(1) a single location at which consumable hemp 

products containing cannabidiol are sold; and 

{2) multiple locations at which consumable hemp 

products containing cannabidiol are sold under a single 

registration. 

(g) The department shall adopt rules to implement and 

administer this section. 

Sec. 443.203. DECEPTIVE TRADE PRACTICE. (a) A person who 

sells, offers for sale, or distributes a cannabinoid oil, including 

cannabidiol oil, that the person claims is processed or 

manufactured in compliance with this chapter commits a false, 

misleading, or deceptive act or practice actionable under 

Subchapter E, Chapter 17, Business & Commerce Code, if the oil is 

not processed or manufactured in accordance with this chapter. 

(b) A person who sells, offers for sale, or distributes a 

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cannabinoid oil commits a false, misleading, or deceptive act or 

practice actionable under Subchapter E, Chapter 17, Business & 

Commerce Code, if the oil: 

(1) contains harmful ingredients; 

(2) is not produced in compliance with 7 U.S.C. 

Chapter 38, Sub chapter VII; or 

(3) has a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration 

of more than 0. 3 percent. 

Sec. 443. 204. RULES RELATED TO SALE OF CONSUMABLE HEMP 

PRODUCTS. Rules adopted by the executive commissioner regulating 

the sale of consumable hemp products must to the extent allowable by 

federal law reflect the following principles: 

(1) hemp-derived cannabinoids, including cannabidiol, 

are not considered controlled substances or adulterants; 

(2) products containing one or more hemp-derived 

cannabinoids, such as cannabidiol, intended for ingestion are 

considered foods, not controlled substances or adulterated 

products; 

( 3) consumable hemp products must be packaged and 

labeled in the manner provided by Section 443. 205; and 

(4) the processing or manufacturing of a consumable 

hemp product for smoking is prohibited. 

Sec. 443. 205. PACKAGING AND LABELING REQUIREMENTS. ( a) 

Before a consumable hemp product that contains or is marketed as 

containing more than trace amounts of cannabinoids may be 

distributed or sold, the product must be labeled in the manner 

provided by this section with the following information: 

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( 1) batch ident ification number; 

( 2) batch date; 

( 3) product name; 

(4) a uniform resource locator (URL) that provides or 

links to a certificate of analysis for the product or each 

hemp-derived ingredient of the product; 

( 5) the name of the product's manufacturer; and 

(6) a certification that the delta-9 

tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of the product or each 

hemp-derived ingredient of the product is not more than O. 3 

percent. 

(b) The label required by Subsection (a) may be in the form 

of: 

( 1) a uniform resource locator (URL) for the 

manufacturer's Internet website that provides or links to the 

information required by that subsection; and 

( 2) a QR code or other bar code that may be scanned and 

that leads to the information required by that subsection. 

( c) The label required by Subsection ( a) must appear on each 

unit of the product intended for individual retail sale. If that 

unit includes inner and outer packaging, the label may appear on any 

of that packaging. 

(d) This section does not apply to sterilized seeds 

incapable of beginning germination. 

Sec. 443.206. RETAIL SALE OF OUT-OF-STATE CONSUMABLE HEMP 

PRODUCTS. Retail sales of consumable hemp products processed or 

manufactured outside of this state may be made in this state when 

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the products were processed or manufactured in another state or 

iurisdiction in compliance with: 

(1) that state or jurisdiction's plan approved by the 

United States Department of Agriculture under 7 U.S.C. Section 

1639p; 

(2) a plan established under 7 U.S.C. Section 16399 if 

that plan applies to the state or jurisdiction; or 

( 3) the laws of that state or jurisdiction if the 

products are tested in accordance with, or in a manner similar to, 

Section 443.151. 

Sec. 443.207. TRANSPORTATION AND EXPORTATION OF CONSUMABLE 

HEMP PRODUCTS OUT OF STATE. Consumable hemp products may be legally 

transported across state lines and exported to foreign 

jurisdictions in a manner that is consistent with federal law and 

the laws of respective foreign jurisdictions. 

SECTION 8. Sections 481.002(5) and (26), Health and Safety 

Code, are amended to read as follows: 

( 5) "Controlled substance" means a substance, 

including a drug, an adulterant, and a dilutant, listed in 

Schedules I through V or Penalty Group 1, 1-A, 2, 2-A, 3, or 4. The 

term includes the aggregate weight of any mixture, solution, or 

other substance containing a controlled substance. The term does 

not include hemp, as defined by Section 121.001, Agriculture Code, 

or the tetrahydrocannabinols in hemp. 

( 26) "Mar ihuana" means the plant Cannabis sativa L., 

whether growing or not, the seeds of that plant, and every compound, 

manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of that 

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plant or its seeds. The term does not include: 

(A) the resin extracted from a part of the plant 

or a compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or 

preparation of the resin; 

(B) the mature stalks of the plant or fiber 

produced from the stalks; 

(C) oil or cake made from the seeds of the plant; 

(D) a compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, 

mixture, or preparation of the mature stalks, fiber, oil, or cake; 

[-e+} 

(E} the sterilized seeds of the plant that are 

incapable of beginning germinationl...2!, 

(F) hemp, as that term is defined by Sect ion 

121.001, Agriculture Code. 

SECTION 9. (a) Not later than the 90th day after the 

effective date of this Act, the Department of Agriculture shall 

submit for approval a state plan to the secretary of the United 

States Department of Agriculture as provided by Section 121.003, 

Agriculture Code, as added by this Act. 

(b) The Department of Agriculture shall submit amended 

state plans as provided by Section 121.003(c), Agriculture Code, as 

added by this Act, as necessary until the plan is approved. 

(c) As soon as practicable after the effective date of this 

Act, the executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services 

Commission shall adopt rules necessary to implement the changes in 

law made by this Act. 

SECTION 10. The Department of Agriculture and the 

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Department of State Health Services shall begin implementing the 

state plan approved by the secretary of the United States 

Department of Agriculture not later than the 30th day after the date 

on which the state plan is approved and shall fully implement the 

state plan as soon as practicable after the state plan is approved. 

SECTION 11. Notwithstanding Chapter 443, Health and Safety 

Code, as added by this Act, a retailer may possess, transport, or 

sell a consumable hemp product, as defined by Section 443.001, 

Health and Safety Code, as added by this Act, that becomes part of 

the retailer's inventory before rules under Section 443. 051, Health 

and Safety Code, as added by this Act, become effective unless the 

product: 

( 1) is unsafe for consumption based on the presence or 

quantity of heavy metals, pesticides, harmful microorganisms, or 

residual solvents; or 

(2) has a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration 

of more than O. 3 percent. 

SECTION 12. Notwithstanding Section 443. 2025, Health and 

Safety Code, as added by this Act, a person is not required to 

register a location to sell a consumable hemp product containing 

cannabidiol at retail in this state before the 60th day after the 

date the Department of State Health Services begins issuing 

registrations. 

SECTION 13. This Act takes effect immediately if it 

receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each 

house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. 

If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate 

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effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2019. 

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President of the Senate Speaker of the House 

I certify that H.B. No. 1325 was passed by the House on April 

24, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 144, Nays 0, 1 present, not 

voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B. 

No. 1325 on May 22, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 140, Nays 3, 

2 present, not voting. 

Chief Clerk of the House 

I certify that H.B. No. 1325 was passed by the Senate, with 

amendments, on May 15, 2019, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 

0. 

Secretary of the Senate 

APPROVED: 

Date 

Governor 

41 
TITLE 4 AGRICULTURE 

PART 1. TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

CHAPTER 24. HEMP PROGRAM 

§§24.1 - §§24.50 

The Texas Department ofAgriculture (TOA or the Department) proposes new Title 4, Part I, 

Chapter 24, Hemp Program, Subchapter A, General Provisions, §§24.1-4, relating to General 

Provisions; Subchapter B, Fees, §§24.5-7; Subchapter C, Licensing, §§24.8-19; Subchapter D, 

Inspections, Sampling and Collection, §§24.20-23; Subchapter E, Testing, §§24.24-29; 

Subchapter F, Disposal, §§24.30-31; Subchapter G, Enforcement, §§24.32-38; Subchapter H, 

Transportation, §§24.39-43; Subchapter I, Seed, §§24.44-48; and Subchapter J, Agricultural or 

Academic Hemp Related Research, §§24.49-50. The proposed new rules are for TDA's 

administration of hemp production to comply with the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 

(2018 Farm Bill) enacted by the 115th United States Congress, and House Bill 1325 (HB 1325) 

enacted by the 86th Texas Legislature. The proposed rules will regulate and license the growth 

and distribution of hemp and nonconsumable hemp products in Texas. 

Phillip Wright, Administrator for Agriculture and Consumer Protection, Texas Department of 

Agriculture, has determined that there will be significant fiscal impact to state government as a 

result of implementing the proposed rules. The program and all associated direct and indirect 

costs will be absorbed by TOA during the first year at a minimum. TOA does not expect any cost 

to local governments at this time. As hemp production has not been legal in Texas, TOA lacks 

sufficient information to estimate revenues or engage in cost recovery calculations for this 

program at this time. However, TOA anticipates that it will be able to recover the costs ofthe 

program based on the number of licenses issued and sampling conducted. As a reference, 

Kentucky Department of Agriculture issued I 030 applications and 1000 permits, and the 

Tennessee Department of Agriculture received 2600 applications for the 2019 growing season 

under their Hemp Research Pilot Programs, which limited hemp production to research purposes 

only, in accordance with the Agriculture Act of 2014. Since the proposed rules allow for hemp 

production outside and beyond research purposes, in accordance with the 2018 Farm Bill and HB 

1325, TOA anticipates a higher number of applications received and permits issued for Texas' 

2020 growing season compared to Kentucky's and Tennessee's 2019 growing season. 

Mr. Wright has also determined that for each year of the first five years the proposed rules are in 

effect, the anticipated public benefit as a result of administering the proposed rules will be to 

provide Texas farmers with new agricultural opportunities to produce and handle hemp. As with 

many state regulations, affected producers and industry will absorb costs associated with the 

compliance ofthese rules. However, TOA lacks sufficient data to quantify the effect on small 

and micro-businesses at this time. The cost of compliance with the rules related to hemp 

production will depend on various factors, including the size ofthe operation. TOA does not 

anticipate that there will be an adverse fiscal impact on rural communities related to the 

implementation of this proposal. Any potential increases in the cost of doing business will be 

offset by the increased marketing and sales opportunities for Texas producers. 

Mr. Wright has also provided the following information related to the government growth impact 

statement, as required pursuant to Texas Government Code, §200 I .0221. As a result of 
implementing the proposal, for the first five years the proposed rules are in effect: 

(1) the TOA Hemp Program will be created; 

(2) an additional 7.1 full time employee positions may be created over the course of 5 years, and 

no existing Department staff positions will be eliminated; and 

(3) there may be an increase in future legislative appropriations to the Department of at least 

$3,127,336 to cover costs to include the creation of new employee positions, and the regulation 

and administration ofthe hemp program, over the course of 5 years. 

Additionally, Mr. Wright has determined that for the first five years the proposed rules are in 

effect: 

(1) there will be an increase in fees paid to the Department, as this program is entirely new and 

TOA is required to assess license and/or inspection fees in order to implement or finance this 

program; 

(2) new regulations will be created by the proposal; 

(3) the number of individuals subject to the proposal will increase, as this is a new program; and 

(4) the proposal will positively affect the Texas economy by allowing producers to grow hemp in 

the State. 

The Texas Department of Agriculuture invites comments on the proposed new rules from any 

member ofthe public. Comments may be submitted to Philip Wright, Administrator for 

Agriculture and Consumer Protection, Texas Department of Agriculture, P.O. Box 12847, 

Austin, Texas 78711, or by email to RuleComments@TexasAgriculture.gov. Comments must be 

received by TOA no later than Monday, Febuary 10, 2020. 

New Title 4, Part 1, Chapter 24, Hemp Program, Subchapters A through J is proposed in 

compliance with the 2018 Farm Bill and HB 1325, which authorize the Department to establish 

rules concerning the production of hemp in the State ofTexas. 

The proposal is made under §§ 121.003-004 and §122.051 of the Texas Agriculture Code 

(the Code), which designate the Department as the lead agency for the administration, 

implementation, and enforcement of hemp production, and authorize the Department to 

adopt rules to coordinate, implement and enforce the hemp program; and, §12.020 of the 

Code, which authorizes the Department to assess penalties for violations of rules adopted by 

the Department. 

Chapters 12, 121 and 122 ofthe Code are affected by the proposal. 

<rule> 

Subchapter A. General Provisions. 

§24.1. Definitions. 

Words used in this chapter in the singular form shall be deemed to impart the plural, and vice 

versa, as the case may demand. For the purposes of provisions and regulations of this chapter, 

unless the context otherwise requires, the following terms shall mean: 

(1) "Act" means Texas House Bill 1325, relating to the production and regulation of hemp in 

Texas, as codified in Chapters 121 and 122 ofthe Code. 
(2) "Acceptable hemp THC level" means a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol content concentration 

level on a dry weight basis, that, when reported with the laboratory's measurement of 

uncertainty, produces a distribution or range that includes a result of 0.3% or less. For example, 

if the reported delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol content concentration level on a dry weight basis is 

0.35% and the measurement of uncertainty is+/- 0.06%, the measured delta-9 

tetrahydrocannabinol content concentration level on a dry weight basis for this sample ranges 

from 0.29% to 0.41 %. Because 0.3% is within the distribution or range, the sample is within the 

acceptable hemp THC level for the purpose of plan compliance. This definition of' 'acceptable 

hemp THC level" affects neither the statutory definition of hemp, in 7 U.S.C. § 16390(1) and 

Texas Agriculture Code§121.001, nor the definition of "marihuana," in 21 U.S.C. §802(16) 

and in Texas Health and Safety Code §481.002(26). 

(3) "Administrative action" includes a denial, revocation or suspension of a license, or an 

assessed penalty. 

(4) "Applicant" means a person, or a person who is authorized to sign for a business entity, who 

submits an application to participate in the Department's hemp program. 

(5) "Cannabis" means a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae of which Cannabis 

saliva is a species, and Cannabis indica and Cannabis ruderalis are subspecies thereof. Cannabis 

refers to any form ofthe plant in which the delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration on a dry 

weight basis has not yet been determined. 

(6) "Certified or Approved hemp seed" means seed that meets the legal standards for seed 

quality and labeling required by Texas and federal law, the legal standards ofthe jurisdictions 

from where the seed is originally sold and produced, and the additional hemp seed quality and 

labeling requirements required by the Department. 

(7) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner ofthe Texas Department of Agriculture. 

(8) "Contiguous" means all ofthe lots in or on a location owned or controlled by one owner or 

tenant, or the same owner and tenant, and no lot is separated from the other lots on the location 

by different ownership or control, or a public right ofway, a navigable waterway, or an area 

greater than sixty feet. 

(9) "Controlled Substance" is defined in Tex. Health & Safety Code §481.002(5). The term does 

not include hemp, as defined by Tex. Agric. Code § 121.001, or the tetrahydrocannabinols in 

hemp. 

(10) "Conviction" means any plea of guilty or nolo contendere, or any finding of guilt, except 

when the finding ofguilt is subsequently overturned on appeal, pardoned, or expunged. For 

purposes ofthis chapter, a conviction is expunged when the conviction is removed from the 

individual's criminal history record and there are no legal disabilities or restrictions associated 

with the expunged conviction, other than the fact that the conviction may be used for sentencing 

purposes for subsequent convictions. In addition, where an individual is allowed to withdraw an 

original plea ofguilty or nolo contendere and enter a plea of not guilty and the case is 

subsequently dismissed, the individual is no longer considered to have a conviction for purposes 

ofthis chapter. 

(11) "Corrective action plan" means a plan established by the Department for a licensed hemp 

producer to correct a negligent violation or non-compliance with the hemp program, this chapter, 

or other state or federal statute. 

(12) "Criminal History Report" means the results of a criminal background investigation 

conducted by the Department. 

(13) "Culpable mental state greater than negligence" means to act intentionally, knowingly, 
willfully, or recklessly. 

(14) "Cultivate" as defined by Tex. Agric. Code §122.001 ( 1) means to plant, irrigate, cultivate or 

harvest a hemp plant. 

(15) "Days" means business days unless otherwise specified. 

(16) "Decarboxylation" means the removal or elimination of carboxyl group from a molecule or 

organic compound. 

(17) "Decarboxylated" means the completion of the chemical reaction that converts THC-acid 

into delta-9-THC, the intoxicating component of cannabis. The decarboxylated value is also 

calculated using a conversion formula that sums delta-9-THC and eighty-seven and seven tenths 

(87.7) percent ofTHC-acid. 

(18) "Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol or THC or Delta-9-THC" means the primary psychoactive 

component of cannabis. For the purposes of this chapter, the terms delta-9-THC and THC are 

interchangeable. 

(19) "Department or TOA" means the Texas Department of Agriculture. 

(20) "Drug Enforcement Administration or DEA" means the United States Drug Enforcement 

Administration. 

(21) "DPS" means the Texas Department of Public Safety. 

(22) "Dry weight basis" means the ratio of the amount of moisture in a sample to the amount of 

dry solid in a sample. Dry weight is a basis for expressing the percentage of a chemical in a 

substance after removing the moisture from the substance. The percentage of THC on a dry 

weight basis means the percentage of THC, by weight, in a cannabis item (plant, extract, or other 

derivative), after excluding moisture from the item. 

(23) "Entity" means a corporation, general partnership, joint stock company, association, limited 

partnership, limited liability partnership, limited liability company, series limited liability 

company, irrevocable trust, estate, charitable organization, or other similar organization, 

including any such organization participating in hemp production as a partner in a general 

partnership, a participant in a joint venture, or a participant in a similar organization. The term 

entity includes a domestic or foreign entity defined in Texas Business Organizations Code 

§1.002 that will be, or proposes to be, in hemp production within the State of Texas. 

(24) "Facility" means a location with a legal description and is within the legal control of a 

person or entity. A facility may consist of multiple fields, greenhouses, storage, and/or lots. 

(25) "Farm Service Agency or FSA" means an agency of the United States Department of 

Agriculture. 

(26) "Field" means an outdoor area of land consisting of one or more lots on which the producer 

will produce or store hemp. 

(27) "Final test" means the last Department-authorized laboratory test conducted from a final 

sample collected. 

(28) "Final sample" means the last Department-authorized sample collected from a lot. 

(29) "Gas chromatography or GC" means a type of chromatography in analytical chemistry used 

to separate, identify, and quantify each component in a mixture. GC relies on heat for separating 

and analyzing compounds that can be vaporized without decomposition. 

(30) "Geospatial location" means a location designated through a global system of navigational 

satellites used to determine the precise ground position of a place or object. This includes OPS 

coordinates. 

(31) "Greenhouse" means any indoor structure consisting of one or more lots on which the 

producer will produce or store hemp. 
(32) "Governing person" has the meaning assigned by Tex. Bus. Orgs. Code §1.002. 

(33) "GPS" means Global Positioning System. 

(34) "Handle" as defined by Tex. Agric. Code §122.001(3) means to possess or store a hemp 

plant on premises owned, operated, or controlled by a license holder for any period oftime, or in 

a vehicle for any period oftime other than during the actual transport ofthe plant from a 

premises owned, operated or controlled by a license holder to a premises owned, operated or 

controlled by another license holder, or a person licensed under Tex. Health & Safety Code, 

Chapter 443. "Handle" also means to harvest or store hemp plants or hemp plant parts prior to 

the delivery of such plants or plant parts for further processing. ''Handle'' also includes the 

disposal of cannabis plants that are not hemp for purposes of chemical analysis and disposal of 

such plants. 

(35) "Harvest" means to cut, gather, take, or remove all or part of the cannabis plants growing in 

a lot or lots, for the purpose ofdisposal, cloning, distribution, processing, storage, sale, or any 

other use. "Harvest" does not include transplants from one lot to another lot if both lots are 

within the same license holder's control, and the plants are transplanted according to the hemp 

program rules and procedures. 

(36) "Hemp" or "industrial hemp" as defined Tex. Agric. Code §121.001 means the plant species 

Cannabis saliva L. and any part of that plant, including the seeds thereof and all derivatives, 

extracts, cannabinoids, isomers, acids, salts, and salts of isomers, whether growing or not, with a 

delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of not more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis. 

(37) "Hemp research license" means a license issued to an institution of higher education to 

produce or handle hemp for research purposes. 

(38) "High-performance liquid chromatography or HPLC" means a type of chromatography 

technique in analytical chemistry used to separate, identify, and quantify each component in a 

mixture. HPLC relies on pumps to pass a pressurized liquid solvent containing the sample 

mixture through a column filled with a solid adsorbent material to separate and analyze 

compounds. 

(39) "Information sharing system" means the database which allows the Department to share 

Texas hemp program information with federal and state agencies. 

(40) "Institution of higher education" has the meaning assigned by Texas Education Code 

§61.003. 

(41) "Key participants" means a sole proprietor, a partner in a general partnership, a general 

partner in a limited partnership, or a person with executive managerial control in an entity. A 

person with executive managerial control includes persons such as a trustee, independent or 

dependent executor or administrator of an estate, chief executive officer, managing member, 

manager, president, vice president, general partner, chief operating officer and chief financial 

officer, or their equivalents. This definition does not include non-executive employees such as 

farm, field, or shift managers that do not make financial planning decisions and that do not vote 

or exercise control of an entity. 

(42) "Law enforcement agency" means any federal or Texas law enforcement agency. 

(43) "License" as defined by Tex. Agric. Code §122.001(6) means a hemp producer or handler 

license issued by the Department. 

(44) "License holder" as defined by Tex. Agric. Code §122.001(7) means an individual or 

business entity holding a license. 

(45) "License holder who transplants" means a license holder who cultivates cannabis plants for 

the purpose oftransplanting all living parts ofthose same cannabis plants according to 
Department rules and procedures. 

(46) "Lot" means a contiguous area in a facility, field, greenhouse, or indoor growing structure 

containing the same variety or strain of cannabis throughout the area. 

(47) "Marijuana or marihuana" means all parts of the plant Cannabis sativa L., whether growing 

or not, the seeds thereof, the resin extracted from any part of such plant, and every compound, 

manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of such plant, its seeds or resin. The term 

'marihuana' does not include hemp and does not include the mature stalks of such plant, fiber 

produced from such stalks, oil or cake made from the seeds of such plant, any other compound, 

manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of such mature stalks ( except the resin 

extracted therefrom), fiber, oil, or cake, or the sterilized seed of such plant which is incapable of 

germination. ''Marihuana'' means all cannabis that tests as having a concentration level ofTHC 

on a dry weight basis of higher than 0.3 percent. 

(48) "Measurement of Uncertainty (MU)" means the parameter, associated with the result of a 

measurement, that characterizes the dispersion ofthe values that could reasonably be attributed 

to the particular quantity subject to measurement. 

(49) "Negligence" means failure to exercise the level of care that a reasonably prudent person 

would exercise in complying with the regulations set forth under this chapter. 

(50) ''Nonconsumable hemp product" as defined by Tex. Agric. Code § 122.00 I (8) means a 

product that contains hemp, other than a consumable hemp product as defined by Tex. Health & 

Safety Code §443.001. The term includes cloth, cordage, fiber, fuel, paint, paper, particleboard, 

construction materials, and plastics derived from hemp. 

(51) "Permit or lot permit" means a document issued by the Department authorizing a license 

holder to produce or handle a hemp crop within a lot. 

(52) "Person" means an individual or entity, unless otherwise indicated. 

(53) "Phytocannabinoid" means the Cannabinoid chemical compounds found in the cannabis 

plant, two of which are Delta- 9 tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-9 THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). 

(54) "Postdecarboxylation" means a value determined after the process of decarboxylation that 

determines the total potential delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol content derived from the sum ofthe 

THC and THC-A content and reported on a dry weight basis. The postdecarboxylation value of 

THC can be calculated by using a chromatograph technique using heat, and gas chromatography, 

through which THC-A is converted from its acid form to its neutral form, THC. Thus, this test 

calculates the total potential THC in a given sample. The postdecarboxylation value of THC can 

also be calculated by using a high-performance liquid chromatograph technique, which keeps the 

THC-A intact, and requires a conversion calculation ofthat THC-A to calculate total potential 

THC in a given sample. See the definition for decarboxylation. 

(55) "Processing" means converting an agricultural commodity into a marketable form. 

(56) "Produce" means to cultivate hemp plants in Texas. 

(57) "Producer" means a person who produces hemp. A producer also means a person who stores 

the hemp plants they produced within Department-registered locations. 

(58) "Program or hemp program" means the process created by the state of Texas and federal 

statutes and regulations to facilitate the regulation and cultivation of hemp as a crop. 

(59) "Reverse distributor" means a person who is registered with the DEA in accordance with 21 

C.F.R. §1317.15 to dispose of marijuana. 

(60) "Sample" means a composite, representative portion from one variety of hemp plants in a 

hemp lot, collected prior to harvest in accordance with Department guidelines and procedures. 

(61) "Sample collection date" means the date a hemp sample is collected by the Department or 
an authorized entity. To determine the sample collection date, the Department may take into 

consideration events of force majeure or unusual circumstances, including situations beyond a 

reasonable person's control. 

(62) "Sampler" means a person or entity authorized by the Department to conduct the sampling 

and collection of hemp plants. 

(63) "Seed source" means the origin ofthe seed or propagules as determined by the Department. 

(64) "Signing authority" means an individual of a sole proprietorship, or an officer or agent of an 

entity with written authorization to commit the entity to a binding agreement or verify the 

contents of a governmental document. 

(65) "Specimen" means a cutting taken from a hemp plant. 

(66) "Storage" means any structure or container, whether temporary or permanent in nature, in 

which the producer or handler will store hemp. "Storage" does not include containers used to 

deliver samples. 

(67) "The Code" means the Texas Agriculture Code. 

(68) "Transplant" means to move a fully germinated seedling, mature plant, cutting, or clone 

from one lot and to replant it in another permanent lot under the control of the same license 

holder, for later harvest by the same license holder. "Transplant" also means a plant, cutting, or 

clone that has been moved from its initial lot of germination or cultivation for the purpose being 

transplanted. 

(69) "Transport manifest" includes a shipping certificate, cargo manifest or transport document 

developed by the Department or a U .S authority, authorizing transport of a hemp product within 

the State of Texas, any other state, the United States ofAmerica, or its territories. 

(70) "TPIA" means the Texas Public Information Act, Texas Government Code, Chapter 52. 

(71) "Unique ID" means the unique identifier established by the Department's hemp program. 

(72) "USDA" means the United States Department of Agriculture. 

(73) "U.S. authority" means the United States of America, USDA or a sub-agency thereof, a 

state, a US territory, or an Indian Nation, or federal, state or local law enforcement agency. 

§24.2. Information Submitted to the United States Secretary of Agriculture. 

(a) Not more than thirty (30) days after receiving and compiling the following information, the 

Department shall provide to the United States Secretary of Agriculture, or the Secretary's 

designee, the following information related to Department-licensed producers, in accordance 

with the Department's Information Gathering and Sharing Procedure: 

(I) Full name of individual or entity, residential or principal business address, telephone number, 

email address, name and title of each key participant of the entity, and employer identification 

number, if applicable; 

(2) Street address, and to the extent practicable, geospatial location for each production location 

where hemp will be produced in Texas; 

(3) Acreage dedicated to the production of hemp, or greenhouse or indoor square footage 

dedicated to the production of hemp; 

(4) The total acreage of hemp planted, or square footage for greenhouses, harvested and if 

applicable, disposed; and 

(5) The status and license number ofthe license holder. 

(b) The Department shall provide real-time updates to USDA for all information that it reports to 

USDA under this rule, 7 C.F.R. §990.3, or 7 C.F.R.§990.70. 
§24.3. Record Retention. 

The Department shall collect and retain, for a period of at least three (3) calendar years 

information for every license holder, and location where the Department has approved hemp to 

be produced, handled, or sampled and collected. 

§24.4. Information Submitted to the Department Subject to Open Records Act. 

(a) Except as established in subsection (b) ofthis section, information and documents generated 

or obtained by the Department in connection with the program shall be subject to disclosure 

pursuant to the TPIA. 

(b) With the exception of information that must or may be reported or provided to USDA, the 

DEA, DPS, or local law enforcement, the Department shall withhold all personally identifiable 

information from disclosure as required or permitted by the TPIA, including physical address, 

mailing address, driver's license numbers, background checks, geospatial location, telephone, 

and email addresses. 
*n 

The proposal is made under §§121.003-004 and §122.051 of the Texas Agriculture Code 

(the Code), which designates the Department as the lead agency for the administration, 

implementation, and enforcement of hemp production, and authorize the Department to 

adopt rules to coordinate, implement and enforce the hemp program; and, § 12.020 of the 

Code, which authorizes the Department to assess penalties for violations of rules adopted by 

the Department. 

Chapters 12, 121 and 122 of the Code are affected by the proposal. 

<rule> 

Subchapter B. Fees. 

§24.5. Schedule of Licensing and Registration Fees. 

(a) The initial application fee shall be at least $100 for each license application. 

(b) The renewal fee shall be at least $100 for each annual license renewal application. 

(c) The participation fee shall be at least $100. A participation fee shall be assessed for the 

following, at a minimum for: 

(1) each facility; 

(2) each lot; and 

(3) a processor registration. 

(d) The facility modification fee shall be at least $500 for each modified facility. 

§24.6. Schedule of Sampling, Collection, and Testing Fees. 

(a) The laboratory registration fee shall be in an amount established by the Department. 

(b) The fee for sampling and collection conducted by the Department shall be $300. 

(c) The license holder shall be responsible for all fees payable to a licensed sampler contracted 

with the Department to conduct sampling and collection under the Department's hemp program. 

(d) The license holder shall be responsible for all fees related to the actual shipment or transport 

of a hemp sample to the laboratory. 

(e) The license holder shall be responsible for all testing fees payable to the laboratory. 

§24.7. Other Fees. 

(a) The fee for each Department-issued transport manifest shall be in an amount established by 

the Department. 

(b) The fee for the organic certification of hemp shall be in an amount established by the 

Department. 

(c) The fee to participate in an optional marketing program shall be in an amount established by 

the Department. 

(d) The fee for certification of seed or plants shall be in an amount established by the 

Department. 
*n 

The proposal is made under §§121.003-004 and §122.051 ofthe Texas Agriculture Code 

(the Code), which designates the Department as the lead agency for the administration, 

implementation, and enforcement of hemp production, and authorize the Department to 

adopt rules to coordinate, implement and enforce the hemp program; and, § 12.020 ofthe 

Code, which authorizes the Department to assess penalties for violations of rules adopted by 

the Department. 

Chapters 12, 121 and 122 of the Code are affected by the proposal. 

<rule> 

Subchapter C. Licensing. 

§24.8. License Application. 

(a) Any person who wishes to produce, handle, or sample and collect hemp at any location in the 

State of Texas shall submit to the Department annually a completed license application in a form 

prescribed by the Department. 

(b) A person who does not hold a valid license from the Department shall not produce, handle, or 

sample and collect hemp within the State of Texas. 

(c) An applicant shall pay the required annual fee for each application, renewal or modification 

of a license. 

(d) A license shall not be issued unless: 

(I) the application is submitted online to the Department; 

(2) the application is complete and accurate; 

(3) the applicant has completed a Department mandatory orientation course; 

(4) the applicant for a sampler license has completed an additional Department sampling and 

collection training course; 

(5) the applicant has paid all required fees, in the amounts established by the Department or 

statute; 

(6) the applicant's criminal history confirms that all key participants covered by the license have 

not been convicted of a felony, under state or federal law, relating to a controlled substance 

within the past ten (10) years, unless the person was lawfully growing hemp under the 2014 

Farm Bill before December 20, 2018, and whose conviction also occurred before December 20, 

2018; 

(7) the application contains no false statements or misrepresentations and the applicant has not 

previously submitted an application with any false statements or misrepresentations; and 

(8) the applicant's hemp license has not been terminated or suspended. 

(e) Each applicant shall provide the following information for each license application: 

(I) full name, Texas address, telephone number, and email address; 

(2) if the applicant is submitting an application on behalf of an entity, the full name of the entity, 

the principal Texas business location address, the full names, titles, addresses, and emails of key 

participants, the full name, title, and email ofthe applicant who will have signing authority, and 

the Texas taxpayer ID number; 

(3) for a producer or handler license; 

(A) street address and geospatial location including GPS for each facility where hemp will be 
cultivated or stored; and 

(B) proofof ownership or control over the location where hemp will be cultivated or stored. 

(4) for a sampler license, proof of a contract with the Department to conduct sampling and 

collection under the Department's hemp program; and 

(5) all other information required by the Department. 

(t) Licenses will not be automatically renewed, and must be renewed annually prior to license 

expiration. Renewal applications are subject to the same terms, information collection 

requirements, and approval criteria as required for initial applications. 

(g) A license holder must submit a license modification if there is any change to the information 

submitted in the application including, but not limited to, sale of a business, a change in or new 

location ofthe facility for the production, handling, or storage ofhemp in Texas, or a change in 

the key participants. 

(h) The Department shall notify each applicant by letter or email ofthe denial or approval of the 

person's application. 

§24.9. Ineligibility for a License. 

(a) A person under the age of eighteen (18) years of age at the time the application is submitted 

to the Department is ineligible for a license. 

(b) A person who has had a hemp license revoked by the Department, USDA, another state, 

Indian nation, or U.S. territory is ineligible to apply for participation in the Department hemp 

program for a period of five (5) years from the date ofrevocation. Upon application following 

the five-year exclusionary period, the Department may deny an application for any lawful 

reason, including previous conduct that occurred while licensed by the Department, USDA, 

another state, Indian nation, or U.S. territory. 

(c) A person who is or has been convicted of a felony relating to a controlled substance under 

federal law or the law of any state may not, before the 10th anniversary ofthe date of the 

conviction, hold a license or be a governing person of a business entity that holds a license unless 

the person was lawfully growing hemp under the 2014 Farm Bill before December 20, 2018, and 

whose conviction also occurred before December 20, 2018. 

(d) A person who falsifies any information contained in a license application to the Department, 

or has previously submitted an application to the Department, USDA, another state, Indian 

nation, or U.S. territory with any materially false statements or misrepresentations is ineligible 

for a license. 

(e) A person is ineligible for a sampler license unless they have a valid contract with the 

Department to conduct sampling and collection under the Department's hemp program. A 

sampler license is invalid upon the termination or expiration of a contract with the Department to 

conduct sampling and collection under the Department's hemp program. 

§24.10. Criteria for Evaluation of License Application. 

(a) The applicant shall submit a complete application with all required components and 

attachments. 

(b) The applicant's history with other TOA programs, if any, shall demonstrate a willingness to 

comply with the Department's rules and instructions from Department staff. 

(c) The applicant shall be in good standing with TOA. 

(d) The applicant must not have a criminal conviction described in this subchapter. 
§24.11. Criminal Background Check. 

(a) Each applicant, including each key participant of an entity, shall undergo and pay for an 

annual criminal background check. 

(b) Each license holder must undergo and pay for an additional criminal background check if it 

changes or adds, prior to the anniversary date of its license, a key participant not previously 

identified on an application or renewal application. 

(c) Each license holder or applicant is required to pay, as a condition to initial or continued 

licensure under the program, all required criminal background check fees assessed by the 

Department. 

§24.12. Administrative Appeal from Denial of License Application. 

(a) A license applicant may appeal the denial of a license application. 

(b) If the Department sustains an applicant's appeal of a licensing denial, the applicant will be 

issued a license. 

(c) If the Department denies an appeal, the applicant's license application will be denied. The 

applicant may request a formal adjudicatory proceeding within 30 days in writing to review the 

decision. Such proceeding shall be conducted pursuant to Chapter 12 of the Code. 

§24.13. Terms and Conditions for License Holders. 

(a) As an initial and continuing condition of licensure under the Department's hemp program, a 

license holder consents to entry on and inspection of all locations identified in an initial or 

renewal application, and all land and premises where hemp or other cannabis plants or materials 

are located. Such consent includes representatives ofthe Department or U.S. authority, who may 

enter such location(s), land, and premise(s) with or without cause, and with or without advance 

notice. 

(b) As an initial and continuing condition of licensure under the Department's hemp program, a 

license holder has a legal duty and obligation to destroy, at the license holder's expense, in 

accordance with DEA reverse distributor regulations found at 21 C.F.R. §1317.15, and without 

compensation from the State of Texas, USDA or the federal government, any: 

(1) material found in excess of an acceptable hemp THC level; 

(2) plants located in an area that is not licensed by the Department; and 

(3) plants not accounted for in required reporting to the Department; 

(c) A license holder shall not sell, assign, loan, transfer, pledge or otherwise dispose of, alienate 

or encumber a license. A license is not transferrable upon the death of a license holder, except 

upon the death of a license holder the independent or dependent executor of the deceased license 

holder may contract with another license holder to cultivate, harvest, handle, test, and convey the 

hemp crop existing at the time ofthe license holder's death. 

(d) A license holder shall not produce or handle hemp in any location other than the location 

listed in an initial or renewal application or facility addition or modification request. 

(e) A license holder, other than a Hemp Research License Holder, shall not interplant hemp with 

any other crop without express written permission from the Department. 

(t) A license holder shall comply with restrictions established by the Department limiting the 

movement of hemp plants and plant parts. 

(g) A license holder shall ensure that at any time hemp is in transit, whether in intrastate or 

interstate commerce, a Department issued transport manifest shall be available for inspection 
upon the request of a representative ofthe Department, or U.S. authority. 

(h) Upon request from a representative ofthe Department, or U.S. authority, a license holder 

shall immediately produce a copy of his or her license for inspection. 

(i) A license holder shall notify the Department of any interaction with any U.S. authority, within 

twenty-four (24) hours following such interaction, by telephone call to the Department and 

follow-up in writing to the Department within three (3) calendar days of the occurrence. 

G) A license holder shall notify the Department of any theft of cannabis materials, whether 

growing or not. 

(k) A license holder shall report to the USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), or Farm 

Service Agency (FSA), consistent with USDA requirements: 

(I) their license or authorization number, street address, and facility and lot geospatial location, 

including all transplantation areas, where hemp is and will be produced; 

(2) the acreage dedicated to the production of hemp, or greenhouse indoor square footage 

dedicated to the production of hemp, and the total acreage or square footage of hemp planted, 

harvested and if applicable, disposed; and 

(3) any change in the facility or lot geospatial location or amount of acreage dedicated to the 

production of hemp, and any change in the facility or lot geospatial location or amount of 

greenhouse indoor square footage dedicated to the production of hemp, including the total 

acreage or square footage of hemp planted, harvested and if applicable, disposed due to said 

changes. 

(I) Failure to comply with this chapter, or any procedure or process established by the 

Department related to the cultivation, handling, sampling and collection, processing, testing, 

storage or transport of hemp, or any request by the Department related to the cultivation, 

handling, sampling and collection, processing, testing, storage or transport of hemp, shall 

constitute grounds for appropriate enforcement action including, without limitation, the 

assessment of administrative penalties, the requirement to undertake corrective action, the denial 

of an initial or renewal application, the revocation of a license, the referral to other state and 

federal agencies for civil or criminal action, or any combination of such remedies by the 

Department. 

§24.14. Restrictions for License Holders. 

(a) A license holder shall not produce or handle any cannabis that is not hemp. 

(b) A license holder shall not produce or handle hemp or other cannabis on a facility unless the 

facility is identified on an application, renewal application or facility addition or modification 

request approved by the Department. 

(c) Hemp shall be physically segregated from other crops unless prior approval is obtained in 

writing from the Department. 

(d) An applicant or license holder shall not include any real property on an application or facility 

addition or modification request that is not owned or completely controlled by the applicant or 

license holder, to produce or handle hemp. 

(e) A license holder shall not produce or handle hemp or other cannabis on real property owned 

by or leased from: 

(1) a person who is ineligible for licensure under the Department's hemp program; or 

(2) a person whose application or renewal application for participation in the Department's hemp 

program was denied, or whose license was terminated or revoked. 

(f) The legal cultivation of cannabis in another state pursuant to the authorization granted by said 
state shall not prevent a person from holding a license in Texas. 

(g) A person who holds a producer and sampler license with the Department shall not conduct 

the sampling and collection of their own hemp product. 

§24.15. License Holders who Transplant. 

(a) In order to be eligible to transplant cannabis plants: 

(1) a license holder must acquire a lot permit for the initial area of cultivation, and a lot permit 

for each final transplantation area. 

(2) a license holder who transplants must indicate in the lot permit application for the initial area 

of cultivation, all final transplantation areas, and anticipated dates oftransplants; and 

(3) a license holder who transplants shall maintain all recordkeeping required for each lot permit, 

including submission of all lot reports. 

(b) The area where a license holder who transplants initially cultivates cannabis plants and the 

final transplantation areas shall constitute separate lots. The license holder who transplants shall 

pay the associated fee for each lot permit. 

(c) In the event the initial area of cultivation is not within the same facility as the final 

transplantation area, the license holder who transplants must request a transport manifest from 

the Department before transporting a lot of cannabis plants to a separate facility for transplanting 

purposes. A transport manifest shall be valid for five (5) days from the date of issuance. 

(d) A sale or transfer of a lot of cannabis plants from a license holder to another license holder 

for transplant is considered a harvest. 

§24.16. Facility Addition or Modification. 

(a) A license holder who elects to produce or handle hemp in a facility other than the facility 

specified by the geospatial location in the applicant's original licensing application shall register 

the new facility by submitting afacility addition or modification request form and obtain written 

approval from the Department for the new facility. 

(b) In the event the geospatial location of a facility previously registered with the Department 

changes, the license holder must submit a facility addition or modification request form and 

obtain written approval from the Department for the modified facility. 

(c) Once a license holder obtains approval from the Department, the license holder may cultivate, 

handle or produce hemp at the newly added or modified facility.(d) The Department shall not 

process or approve a facility addition or modification request until the Department has received 

the required forms and fees. 

§24.17. Lot Permit. 

(a) A license holder must acquire a lot permit from the Department for each lot where the license 

holder intends to produce or handle hemp prior to producing or handling hemp. The applicant 

shall submit, at a minimum the license number, geospatial location of the lot where the hemp 

variety will be planted, the facility where the lot is located, and anticipated dates of cultivation. 

(b) An application that is missing required information shall be subject to denial. 

(c) A change in the geospatial location of a lot where the hemp variety will be planted will be 

considered by the Department as a new lot. 

§24.18. Reporting and Recordkeeping. 

(a) License holders shall maintain records and reports of all hemp plants acquired, produced, 
handled, sampled and collected, or disposed for at least three years, using a Department form. 

(b) All records shall be maintained and made available for inspection by Department inspectors, 

US authorities, or their representatives, during reasonable business hours. The following records 

must be made available: 

(1) records regarding acquisition of hemp seed or cultivars; 

(2) records regarding production of hemp; 

(3) records regarding handling of hemp; 

(4) records regarding sampling and collection of hemp; 

(5) records regarding disposal of all cannabis plants that, upon testing by the Department, the 

license holder, or US authority, exceeds the acceptable hemp THC level; and 

(6) records regarding the transport or proposed transport of hemp, including transport manifests. 

(c) All reports and records required to be submitted to the Department as part of participation in 

this program which include confidential data or business information, including but not limited 

to information constituting a trade secret or disclosing a trade position, financial condition, or 

business operations ofthe particular license holder or their customers, shall be received by, and 

at all times kept in the custody and control of, the Department and its employees in accordance 

with the requirements of Texas law and the Department's information security procedures and 

policies. Confidential data or business information may be shared with US authorities, or their 

designees. License holders are responsible for identifying all ofthe license holder's confidential 

data or business information, including but not limited to information constituting a trade secret 

or trade positions, financial conditions, or business operations of the particular license holder or 

its customers which the license holder deems to be protected from disclosure by the Department. 

Such identification must be made by separate written communication to the Department 

specifically identifying the information sought to be protected by the license holder. 

§24.19. Registration ofNonconsumable Hemp Processors. 

(a) All persons who intend to process nonconsumable hemp products shall register with the 

Department. 

(b) Only a processor registered with the Department shall process nonconsumable hemp products 

in the State of Texas. 
*n 

The proposal is made under§§ 121.003-004 and§ 122.051 of the Texas Agriculture Code 

(the Code), which designates the Department as the lead agency for the administration, 

implementation, and enforcement of hemp production, and authorize the Department to 

adopt rules to coordinate, implement and enforce the hemp program; and, § 12.020 ofthe 

Code, which authorizes the Department to assess penalties for violations of rules adopted by 

the Department. 

Chapters 12, 12 I and I22 ofthe Code are affected by the proposal. 

<rule> 

Subchapter D. Inspections, Sampling, and Collection. 

§24.20. Site Access for Representatives ofthe Department and Law Enforcement 

Agencies. 

(a) The Department, the DEA, DPS, and local law enforcement agencies, along with their 

representatives and employees, shall be provided with complete and unrestricted access to all 

hemp plants, whether growing or harvested, and all facilities used for the production and storage 

of all hemp in all locations where hemp is produced or handled. 

(b) The Department or its representative shall conduct random inspections of license holders to 

verify the production and handling of hemp complies with applicable state and federal law. 

(c) During a scheduled sample collection, the producer or an authorized representative 

ofthe producer shall be present at each lot undergoing sampling and testing. 

§24.21. Sampling and Collection. 

(a) Sampling and Collection Notification 

(I) A completed sample request form from a license holder shall be submitted to the Department 

at least fifteen (15) days prior to the expected harvest date. 

(2) The Department's receipt of a sample request form triggers a site inspection and sample 

collection by the Department or its representative. 

(b) Sampling and Collection 

(I) The material selected for sampling will be determined by the Department's Sampling and 

Collection Procedure. 

(2) Ifthe license holder fails to complete harvest within fifteen ( 15) days of sample collection, a 

secondary sample of each lot to be harvested shall be collected and submitted for testing. The 

license holder must notify the Department of a delay in harvesting by submitting another, or 

second, complete, sample request form to initiate a second or subsequent sample collection from 

each lot to be harvested. 

(3) The Department will grant or conduct no more than two (2) sample requests per lot. The 

Department may grant or conduct additional sample requests under unusual circumstances, 

including an event unforeseeable by a reasonable person. 

(4) A separate sample must be taken for each lot. 

(5) Samples shall be labeled and prepared for transport to the laboratory for testing 

in accordance with the Department's Sampling and Collection Procedure. 
§24.22. Lot Report. 

(a) A license holder shall provide a lot report to the Department no later than the 30th day after a 

final sample is collected from a lot, or no later than 180 days from the lot permit issue date, 

whichever is earlier. 

(b) A lot report shall be provided using a Department form and must contain the following 

information at a minimum, regarding the particular lot: 

(1) license holder account number; 

(2) facility ID and lot ID; 

(3) sample(s) ID(s) and test ID(s); 

(4) disposition of cannabis plant materials produced or handled within the lot (e.g. harvest, 

disposal, transplanting, cloning, distribution, processing, sale, or other use) and any Departmentissued transport manifest. 

(5) total acres or square footage of cannabis plant material produced or handled; and 

(6) a certified statement indicating whether or not any living cannabis plants remain in any lot 

identified in the lot report. In the event any living cannabis plants remain in any lot identified in 

the lot report, the license holder shall further provide a certified statement indicating whether the 

license holder intends to dispose of or cultivate the remaining, living cannabis plants. 

(c) The license holder shall report and certify disposal of cannabis plants to the Department in 

the lot report and include a description ofthe date and method ofdisposal. 

(d) In the event the license holder cultivates the remaining, living cannabis plants, the license 

holder shall register the location(s) of the remaining, living cannabis plants as new lots and pay 

the applicable participation fee. 

§24.23. Other Activities. 

(a) A license holder shall not harvest a cannabis crop prior to samples being collected. 

(b) The license holder shall harvest the crop not more than 15 days following the date of sample 

collection by the Department, unless specifically authorized in writing by the Department. 

(c) Prior to processing, cannabis from harvested lots shall not be commingled with cannabis 

from other harvested lots or other material without prior permission from the Department. 

(d) A license holder may not sell or use harvested plants unless a test ofthe sample(s) for 

the lot associated with the harvested plants is at or below the acceptable hemp THC level. 
*n 

The proposal is made under §§121.003-004 and §122.051 of the Texas Agriculture Code 

(the Code), which designates the Department as the lead agency for the administration, 

implementation, and enforcement of hemp production, and authorize the Department to 

adopt rules to coordinate, implement and enforce the hemp program; and, § 12.020 of the 

Code, which authorizes the Department to assess penalties for violations of rules adopted by 

the Department. 

Chapters 12, 121 and 122 ofthe Code are affected by the proposal. 

<rule> 

Subchapter E. Testing. 

§24.24. Testing Laboratory. 

(a) Registration. 

(1) An independent testing laboratory, or a laboratory in an institution of higher education, must 

be registered with the Department before performing any test related to the Department hemp 

program. 

(2) An independent testing laboratory or a laboratory in an institution of higher education shal I 

submit a complete application for registration in a form prescribed by the Department. 

(3) An independent testing laboratory or a laboratory in an institution of higher education must 

be accredited by an independent accreditation body in accordance with International 

Organization for Standardization ISO/IEC 17025 and must be registered with DEA. 

(b) Registered Laboratories 

(I) A list of Department-registered laboratories shall be available to license holders on the 

Department website. 

(2) A license holder may test a hemp sample using a registered laboratory in accordance with 

Tex. Agric. Code §122.151 ( c ). 

(3) A license holder who uses a registered laboratory shall pay that laboratory's fees. 

(c) State of Texas Laboratory 

(1) A license holder may test a hemp sample using a State of Texas Laboratory operated by the 

Department or its representative (State Laboratory). 

(2) The State Laboratory shall be used if the license holder fails to use a registered laboratory. 

(3) A license holder shall pay the State laboratory fees. 

(4) The State Laboratory shall be registered with DEA. 

§24.25. Standards for Testing. 

Analytical testing for purposes of detecting the concentration levels of delta-9 

tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in the flower material of the cannabis plant shall meet the following 

standards: 

(I) laboratory quality assurance must ensure the validity and reliability oftest results; 

(2) analytical method selection, validation, and verification must ensure that the testing method 

used is appropriate (fit for purpose) and that the laboratory can successfully perform the testing; 

(3) the demonstration of testing validity must ensure consistent, accurate analytical performance; 

and 
(4) method performance specifications must ensure analytical tests are sufficiently sensitive for 

the purposes of the detectability requirements of this subchapter. 

§24.26. Methods for Testing. 

(a) Laboratories shall use appropriate, validated methods and procedures for all testing activities 

and evaluate the measurement of uncertainty. 

(b) At a minimum, analytical testing of samples for delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration 

levels must use post-decarboxylation or other similarly reliable methods approved by the 

Department. 

(c) The testing methodology must consider the potential conversion of delta-9 

tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) in hemp into delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and the 

test result reflect the total available THC derived from the sum ofthe THC and THC-A content. 

Testing methodologies meeting these requirements include, but are not limited to, gas or liquid 

chromatography with detection. 

(d) Alternative testing protocols will be considered by the Department if they are comparable and 

similarly reliable to the baseline established under the Department program. Alternative testing 

protocols must be requested of the Department in writing and approved in writing by the 

Department, provided they meet the requirements ofthis subchapter. 

§24.27. Testing Procedure. 

(a) The laboratory shall test samples in accordance with the Department "Testing Procedure". 

(b) The laboratory shall maintain the chain of custody of each sample using a form prescribed by 

the Department. 

(c) The laboratory shall retain the sample for a minimum ofthirty (30) business days from 

the sample collection date. 

§24.28. Reporting Test Results. 

(a) The laboratory shall send the test results electronically to the Department and license holder 

no later than the fourteenth (14th) business day from the sample collection date. 

(b) The total delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration level shall be determined and reported 

on a dry weight basis. Additionally, measurement of uncertainty (MU) must be estimated and 

reported with the test results. 

(c) Any sample test result showing with at least 95% confidence that the THC content ofthe 

sample exceeds the acceptable hemp THC level shall be conclusive evidence that one or more 

cannabis plants or plant products from the lot represented by the sample contain a THC 

concentration in excess of that allowed. Ifthe results ofa test conclude that the THC levels of a 

sample conclusively exceeds the acceptable hemp THC level, the laboratory will promptly notify 

the producer and the Department or its authorized agent. 

§24.29. Retest. 

(a) A license holder may request a retest of the original sample within five (5) days from the 

date the license holder receives the results ofthe first test. 

(b) A license holder requesting a retest must use the laboratory that conducted the initial 

test. 

(c) The laboratory shall use the original sample, used in the first test, for the retest. 

(d) The results of the retest are final. 
*n 

The proposal is made under§§ 121.003-004 and§ 122.05 l of the Texas Agriculture Code 

(the Code), which designates the Department as the lead agency for the administration, 

implementation, and enforcement of hemp production, and authorize the Department to 

adopt rules to coordinate, implement and enforce the hemp program; and, §12.020 of the 

Code, which authorizes the Department to assess penalties for violations of rules adopted by 

the Department. 

Chapters 12, 121 and 122 ofthe Code are affected by the proposal. 

<rule> 

Subchapter F. Disposal. 

§24.30. Notice Procedures. 

(a) The license holder shall submit a completed disposal report to the Department no later than 

seven (7) days after the license holder receives a final test result exceeding the acceptable hemp 

THC level. 

(b) The Department's receipt of a disposal report triggers a potential field inspection by the 

Department or its representative. 

(c) The Department will inform the license holder no later than seven (7) days after receiving the 

disposal report of the approved method of disposal. 

§24.3 I. Non-compliant Cannabis Plants. 

(a) Cannabis plants exceeding the acceptable hemp THC level constitute marijuana, a 

Schedule I controlled substance, which must be disposed of in accordance with the federal 

Controlled Substances Act (CSA) in 21 C.F.R. §13 and DEA regulations in 21 C.F.R. §1317.15. 

(b) A final test result exceeding the acceptable hemp THC level shall be conclusive evidence that 

the lot represented by the sample is non-compliant with state and federal law. The cannabis on 

that lot may not be further handled, processed, or enter the stream of commerce, other than for 

disposal purposes in strict compliance with the CSA and DEA regulations. 

(c) Disposal of Non-compliant Cannabis Plants. 

(I) Within five (5) days of receiving a notice of disposal from the Department, the license holder 

shall contact an appropriate DEA-registered reverse distributor or other authorized person or 

entity to request disposal of the non-compliant cannabis plants in strict compliance with the CSA 

and DEA regulations. 

(2) The license holder shall pay all costs and fees required for the destruction of non-compliant 

cannabis plants and shall surrender such plants to the DEA-registered reverse distributor or other 

authorized person or entity for disposal in accordance with DEA regulations, without 

compensation from TDA, the State of Texas, or U.S. authorities. 

(d) License holders must notify USDA and the Department of intent to dispose of non-compliant 

cannabis plants and verify disposal by maintaining and submitting records of the disposal. 
*n 

The proposal is made under§§ 121.003-004 and§ 122.051 of the Texas Agriculture Code 

(the Code), which designates the Department as the lead agency for the administration, 

implementation, and enforcement of hemp production, and authorize the Department to 

adopt rules to coordinate, implement and enforce the hemp program; and, §12.020 ofthe 

Code, which authorizes the Department to assess penalties for violations of rules adopted by 

the Department. 

Chapters 12, 121 and 122 ofthe Code are affected by the proposal. 

<rule> 

Subchapter G. Enforcement. 

§24.32. Complaints. 

(a) Any person with cause to believe that any provision of the Code or this chapter, related to the 

Department hemp program, has been violated or not complied with by a license holder, may file 

a complaint with the Department. The Department will accept either a written or oral complaint, 

but may require the completion and signing of a complaint form before conducting an 

investigation into the circumstances or situation giving rise to the complaint. 

(b) Upon receipt of an acceptable complaint, the Department will investigate the complaint and 

make a written report. 

(c) The Department's written report will be made available to the public to the extent authorized 

by the TPIA. 

(d) The Department shall, as soon as possible, notify the person(s) believed to be responsible for 

the acts, omissions, circumstance(s) and situation(s) described in the complaint, and the owner 

or lessee of the land where the incident(s) allegedly occurred of the existence of the complaint. 

(e) The Department will not find a violation based solely on the uncorroborated statements of an 

anonymous or unidentified complainant. However, the Department routinely investigates all such 

complaints. The Department will determine the extent of the investigation and resources which 

are necessary to address any particular complaint. 

§24.33. Negligent Violations. 

(a) A hemp producer shall be subject to enforcement for negligently producing hemp or for 

negligently producing cannabis (marijuana) which exceeds the acceptable hemp THC level. 

(b) Negligent violations shall include, but not be limited to: 

(1) failure to provide a legal description or geospatial location of the facility on which the license 

holder produces or stores hemp; 

(2) failure to obtain a license or other required authorization from the Department; or 

(3) production of cannabis with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration exceeding the 

acceptable hemp THC level. 

(c) Hemp producers do not commit a negligent violation under this chapter if they make 

reasonable efforts to grow hemp, and after sampling and testing, the cannabis (marijuana) does 

not produce a test result showing a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration for the lot's 

sample of more than 0.5 percent on a dry weight basis. 
(d) For each negligent violation, the Department will issue a Notice of Violation and require the 

license holder to submit a corrective action plan. The Department shall review the corrective 

action plan and determine if the corrective action plan meets the requirements of 7 C.F.R. §990, 

the Code, this chapter, and the Department's other requirements. Ifthe Department approves the 

corrective action plan, the license holder shall comply with the corrective action plan to cure the 

negligent violation. Ifthe Department denies the corrective action plan, the license holder's 

license shall be revoked. Corrective action plans will be in place for a minimum oftwo (2) years 

from the date oftheir approval. Corrective action plans will, at a minimum, include: 

(I) the date by which the license holder shall correct each negligent violation; 

(2) steps to correct each negligent violation; and 

(3) a description ofthe written procedures to demonstrate compliance with applicable law and 

the Department's policies and procedures, which may include additional reporting requirements 

to show such compliance. 

(e) A license holder that negligently violates this chapter shall not, as a result of that violation, be 

subject to any criminal enforcement action in Texas. 

(f) If a subsequent violation occurs while a corrective action plan is in place, a new corrective 

action plan must be submitted with a heightened level ofquality control, staff training, and 

quantifiable action measures. 

(g) A license holder that negligently violates the terms of a license three (3) times in a five-year 

period shall have their license revoked and be ineligible to produce hemp for a period of five (5) 

years, beginning on the date ofthe third violation. 

(h) The Department or any U.S. authority along with their authorized representatives and 

employees shall conduct inspections to determine if the corrective action plan has been 

implemented. 

§24.34. Violations with a Culpable Mental State Greater than Negligence. 

(a) In addition to being subject to license suspension, license revocation, and monetary civil 

penalty procedures established in this chapter, a person who is found by the Department to have 

violated any statute or administrative regulation governing that person's participation in the 

hemp program with a culpable mental state greater than negligence shall be subject to the 

reporting requirements established in this section. 

(b) The Department shall immediately report a person who is found by the Department to have 

violated any statute or administrative regulation governing that person's participation in the 

hemp program with a culpable mental state greater than negligence to the following law 

enforcement agencies: 

(I) the Attorney General ofthe United States; 

(2) the Texas Department of Public Safety; 

(3) the Office ofthe Texas Attorney General; and 

(4) other law enforcement authorities with jurisdiction over the producer's acts or omissions that 

are the subject of the report. 

§24.35. License Suspension. 

(a) The Department may issue a notice of suspension to a license holder if the Department or its 

representative receives credible evidence establishing that a license holder has: 

(I) engaged in conduct, being either an act or omission, violating a provision ofthis chapter; or 

(2) failed to comply with a written order from the Department related to negligence as defined in 
this chapter. 

(b) Any license holder whose license has been suspended shall not cultivate, handle or remove 

hemp or cannabis from any location where hemp or cannabis was located at the time when the 

Department issued its notice of suspension, without prior written authorization from the 

Department. 

(c) Any person whose license has been suspended shall not produce or handle hemp during the 

period of suspension. 

(d) A license holder whose license has been suspended may appeal that decision in accordance 

with this subchapter. 

(e) A license holder whose license has been suspended and not restored on appeal may have their 

license restored after a waiting period of one year from the date ofthe suspension, subject to the 

terms of a five-year revocation. 

(t) A license holder whose license has been suspended may be required to complete a corrective 

action plan to fully restore the license. 

§24.36. License Revocation. 

The Department shall immediately revoke a license if a person: 

(1) pleads guilty to, or is convicted of, any felony related to a controlled substance under Texas 

law, federal law or the law of any other state; 

(2) made a false statement or provided false information or documentation to the Department or 

its representatives, with a culpable mental state greater than negligence; or 

(3) is found to be growing cannabis exceeding the acceptable hemp THC level with a culpable 

mental state greater than negligence, or negligently violated this chapter three (3) times in five 

(5) years. 

§24.37. Penalties. 

§ 12.020 of the Code, which provides for the assessment of administrative penalties, applies 

to a person who violates the Code or this chapter. Failure to pay an administrative penalty 

assessed by a final order ofthe Department is a violation of this chapter. Failure to pay a 

final judgment which assesses a civil penalty in which express findings of a violation are 

made, and which was entered pursuant to the Code or this chapter, shall also constitute a 

violation ofthis chapter. 

§24.38. Appeals. 

(a) Persons who believe they are adversely affected by the assessment of an administrative action 

may appeal such decision to the Department. 

(b) Ifthe Department sustains the appeal of an administrative action, the person will retain their 

license and not be subject to the administrative action proposed by the Department in all or part. 

(c) Ifthe Department denies the appeal of an administrative action, the license will be revoked or 

suspended and any administrative action will be imposed. The person may request a formal 

adjudicatory proceeding in accordance with Chapter 12 of the Code. 
*n 

The proposal is made under §§121.003-004 and §122.051 of the Texas Agriculture Code 

(the Code), which designates the Department as the lead agency for the administration, 

implementation, and enforcement of hemp production, and authorize the Department to 

adopt rules to coordinate, implement and enforce the hemp program; and, § 12.020 ofthe 

Code, which authorizes the Department to assess penalties for violations of rules adopted by 

the Department. 

Chapters 12, 121 and 122 of the Code are affected by the proposal. 

<rule> 

Subchapter H. Transportation. 

§24.39. Transport Manifest Required. 

(a) A Department-issued transport manifest shall be required for the transportation of hemp 

outside a facility where the hemp is produced. 

(b) Hemp produced outside of Texas and transported in Texas shall be accompanied by valid 

documentation authorized by another state, Indian Nation, or U.S. territory. 

§24.40. Transport Manifests for Test Samples. 

A Department-issued transport manifest shall accompany all samples collected and 

transported to a laboratory for testing. 

§24.41. Transport of Pests Prohibited. 

A person may not transport hemp in the State of Texas that contains an agricultural pest or 

disease listed in Title 4 of the Texas Administrative Code Chapter 19. 

§24.42. Transplants Originating Outside the State of Texas Prohibited. 

To the extent authorized by the laws and Constitution ofthe United States, no person shall bring 

into the State of Texas a cannabis transplant that originated from cannabis plants germinated 

outside ofthe State of Texas. A license holder may only cultivate cannabis transplants 

originating from cannabis plants germinated in Texas. 

§24.43. Mixed Cargo Prohibited. 

A person transporting hemp plant material in the State of Texas shall not concurrently 

transport any cargo that is not hemp material. 
*n 

The proposal is made under §§121.003-004 and §122.051 of the Texas Agriculture Code 

(the Code), which designates the Department as the lead agency for the administration, 

implementation, and enforcement of hemp production, and authorize the Department to 

adopt rules to coordinate, implement and enforce the hemp program; and, § 12.020 of the 

Code, which authorizes the Department to assess penalties for violations of rules adopted by 

the Department. 

Chapters 12, 121 and 122 ofthe Code are affected by the proposal. 

<rule> 

Subchapter I. Hemp Seed. 

§24.44. Certified or Approved Hemp Seed. 

(a) The Department shall maintain and make available to license holders a list of 

businesses that sell hemp seeds certified or approved for production, sale, offered for 

sale, or distributed within the State ofTexas. 

(b) A person may not sell, offer for sale, distribute or use hemp seed in the State of 

Texas unless the seed is certified or approved by the Department. 

§24.45. License Required to Sell. Possess, Hold or Purchase Hemp Seed. 

After May I, 2020, A person or entity may not sell, possess, hold or purchase hemp seed unless 

that person holds a valid and active license issued by the Department for the production and 

handling of hemp. 

§24.46. Hemp Seed Quality and Labeling Requirements. 

(a) Hemp seed sold, offered for sale, distributed, or used in the State ofTexas must meet the 

legal standards for seed quality and seed labeling required by Texas and federal law, as well the 

legal standards ofthe jurisdictions from where the seed is originally sold and produced. 

(b) Hemp seed sold, offered for sale, distributed, or used in the State of Texas must also meet the 

additional hemp seed quality and labeling requirements as provided for by the Department. 

(c) Hemp seed sold, offered for sale, distributed, or used in the State ofTexas must contain a 

clear, legible statement on the label in English in addition to any other language on the label 

indicating the: 

(I) specific variety ofthe hemp seed; 

(2) the seller or distributor; and 

(3) the location and jurisdiction oforigin ofthe hemp seed. 

§24.47. Hemp Seed Recordkeeping. 

A person who sells, offers to sell, distributes, or uses hemp seed in Texas shall maintain records 

indicating: 

(I) the origin ofthe hemp seed for five (5) years; 

(2) the person or entity from whom the person purchased the hemp seed; 

(3) any documentation indicating certification or approval ofthe provenance, quality, and variety 
of the hemp seed; and 

(4) the location and jurisdiction of origin ofthe hemp seed. 

§24.48. Certification or Approval ofHemp Seed. 

(a) A person may request the certification or approval of a hemp seed for a particular variety by 

submitting a completed form prescribed by the Department. 

(b) A person requesting for the certification or approval of hemp seed for a particular variety 

shall provide the following information to the Department: 

(I) name of kind and variety; 

(2) a statement concerning the variety's origin, and the breeding procedure used, in its 

development including evidence on stability ( evidence on stability must include any field test 

reports and sample test results demonstrating the hemp seed was used to grow hemp plants 

which tested within the acceptable hemp THC Level); 

(3) a completed objective form for the crop as provided by the Department Seed Quality 

Program, if such form is available. The completed objective description form as provided by the 

U.S. Plant Variety Protection Office may be used in lieu ofthe Texas form; 

(4) a statement delineating the geographic area or areas of adaptation ofthe variety; and 

(5) such other information as may be requested by the Department which may include but is not 

limited to: 

(A) special characteristics ofthe seed and ofthe plant as it passes through the seedling stage and 

flowering stage; and 

(B) other evidence of performance ofthe variety (date, graphs, charts, pictures, etc.) supporting 

the identity ofthe variety, if known. Ifstatements or claims are made concerning performance 

characteristics, such as yield, tolerance to insects or diseases, or lodging, there must be evidence 

to support such statements. Statistical analysis of data is encouraged. 

(c) The Department may gather the information described in this section to conduct research and 

analysis to determine the quality and viability of hemp seed varieties for approval by the 

Department. The Department may partner with Texas A & M University or a State of Texas 

institution of higher education to conduct research and analysis pertaining to hemp seed varieties. 

(d) The Department may revoke a hemp seed variety certification or approval if it determines 

that the hemp seed variety does not meet the standards described in this section. 
*n 

The proposal is made under §§121.003-004 and §122.051 of the Texas Agriculture Code 

(the Code), which designates the Department as the lead agency for the administration, 

implementation, and enforcement of hemp production, and authorize the Department to 

adopt rules to coordinate, implement and enforce the hemp program; and,§ 12.020 of the 

Code, which authorizes the Department to assess penalties for violations of rules adopted by 

the Department. 

Chapters 12, 121 and 122 ofthe Code are affected by the proposal. 

<rule> 

Subchapter J. Agricultural or Academic Hemp Related Research. 

§24.49. Hemp Research License. 

(a) Texas A&M University or a Texas institution of higher education may apply for a license to 

produce and handle hemp for agricultural or academic research. A license issued to Texas A&M 

University or a Texas Institution of higher education pursuant to this section is known as a 

"Hemp Research License." 

(b) In order to obtain a hemp research license, Texas A&M University or a Texas institution of 

higher education must submit an application and required fees to the Department. 

(c) A hemp research license holder must comply with and is solely responsible for compliance 

with all state and federal laws, rules, and guidelines pertaining to the production and handling of 

hemp in addition to the laws, rules, and guidelines of any other jurisdiction where such hemp 

research license holder may produce or handle hemp. 

§24.50. Hemp Research Plan. 

(a) An applicant for a hemp research license must also submit a research plan providing the 

following information: 

(1) a detailed statement specifying the nature and purpose ofthe hemp related research to be 

conducted; 

(2) all locations where hemp related research will be conducted; 

(3) the varieties of hemp to be utilized for the research purposes; and 

(4) such other information as may be requested by the Department. 

(b) A hemp research license holder must also submit an annual research plan detailing the 

location, activities, and the results ofthe hemp related research conducted by the hemp research 

license holder during the previous twelve ( 12) month period. Trade secret or patent information 

developed due to hemp research may be omitted from the annual research plan so long as there is 

a necessity for the research institution to protect such information. 

The agency certifies that legal counsel has reviewed the adoption and found it to be a valid 

exercise of the agency's legal authority. 

Filed with the office of Secretary of State on December 30, 2019. 
Texas Department of Agriculture Information Gathering and Sharing Procedure 

Pursuant to 7 C.F.R. § 990.3(a)(7), the Texas Department ofAgriculture (TDA)provides below "a 

procedure for submitting information described in 7 C.F.R. §990.70 to the Secretary not more than 

30 days after the date on which the information is received... in a format that is compatible with 

the United States Department of Agriculture's information sharing system." 

Further, pursuant to 7 C.F.R. §990.3(a)(9), TDA is also providing "a procedure to share 

information with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to support the information 

sharing requirements in 7 U.S.C. l 639q(d)." 

TDA rules pertaining to information gathering and sharing are set out in TDA's proposed rules 

included with TDA's state plan. TOA intends to file its proposed rules with the Texas Register on 

Monday, December 2, 2019, for publication in Issue Number 50 on Friday, December 13, 2019. 

A brief description ofTDA's information gathering and sharing procedure is provided below: 

I. TDA has proposed rules requiring license applicants and license holders to submit to 

USDA, FSA, AMSA, and/or TDA the information required by 7 C.F.R. §990.3 and 

§990.70. 

2. Until an electronic information sharing system is in place, TDA will utilize the reporting 

forms made available by USDA, or develop spreadsheets in substantial compliance and 

conformity with the current USDA forms, in order to share the required information with 

USDA. TOA intends to send the completed forms or spreadsheets on a timely basis to 

USDA via email. 

3. TOA will maintain the information received from applicants and license holders in a 

searchable and transferable electronic format that can be provided to USDA in a format 

compatible with USDA's information sharing system when that system becomes available. 
Texas Department of Agriculture Testing Procedure 

Purpose: 

1. Standard testing procedures are specified for samples taken in accordance with the 

Sampling Procedures for the TDA Hemp Program to measure the delta-9 

tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentration levels of those samples on a dry weight 

basis. Laboratories are required to be accredited by an independent accreditation body 

in accordance with the International Organization for Standardization 1S0/IEC 17025 

crasn:ce~:rstandard. All TOA-registered laboratories approved for THC testing must 

also be registered with DEA pursuant to 2 I CFR §130 I. 13 to handle controlled 

substances under the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA). 

2 The results are intended to measure the THC content of composite hemp samples 

collected from a designated lot of hemp crop acreage designated by a hemp producer and 

reported to TDA as required under the TDA hemp program. The purpose of the 

measurements is to determine whether the THC concentration of the tested material is 

within the acceptable hemp THC level. 

3. As required under the TDA hemp program, laboratories conducting testing of hemp 

must conduct analytical testing for purposes of detecting the concentration levels of 

delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol THC and shall meet the following standards: 

(a) Laboratory quality assurance must ensure the validity and reliability of test results; 

(b) Analytical method selection, validation, and verification must ensure that the testing 

method used is appropriate (fit for purpose) and that the laboratory can successfully 

perform the testing; 

(c) The demonstration of testing validity must ensure consistent, 

accurate analytical performance; and 

(d) Method performance specifications must ensure analytical tests are sufficiently 

sensitive for the purposes of detectability requirements. 

(e) At a minimum, analytical testing of samples for delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol 

concentration levels must use post-decarboxylation or other similarly reliable methods 

approved by TDA. The testing methodology must consider the potential conversion of 

delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) in hemp into delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol 

{THC) and the test result reflect the total available THC derived from the sum of the THC 

and THC-A content. Testing methodologies meeting these requirements include, but are not 

limited to, gas chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography. 

(t) The total delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration level shall be determined 

and reported on a dry weight basis. 

(g) Any sample test result showing with at least 95% confidence that the THC content of 

the sample is higher than the acceptable hemp THC level shall be conclusive evidence that 

the lot represented by the sample is not in compliance with the Department program rules 

and procedures. 

(h) Alternative testing protocols will be considered if they are comparable and similarly 

reliable to the baseline established under the TDA plan and procedures. Alternative testing 

protocols must be requested ofTOA in writing and approved in writing by TOA, provided 
they meet the requirements ofthis guidance. 

General Sample Preparation and Testing Procedures are as follows: 

I. Laboratory receives sample. 

2. Dry sample to remove the majority ofwater. 

3. Mill and "manicure" sample though a wire screen no larger than 1.5 x 1.5mm to 

discard mature seeds and larger twigs and stems. 

4. Separate sample into a test and retain specimens. 

a. Test specimen: go to step 5 

b. Retain specimen: package and store until needed. When needed go to step 

5. 

5. Determine moisture content or dry to a consistent weight (meeting criteria). 

6. Perform chemical analysis. 

7. Calculate total THC on a dry weight basis. Test results should be determined 

and reported on a dry weight basis. 

(A) Samples. Samples shall be received and prepared for testing in a TOA-registered laboratory 

as follows: 

(1) Once the composite sample is received by the laboratory, the laboratory shall dry all of 

the leaf and flower (not obvious stem and seeds) of the composite sample until brittle in a 

manner that maintains the THC level of sample. Samples are to be dried to a consistent loss 

(typically 5- 12% moisture content) so that the test can be performed on a dry weight basis, 

meaning the percentage of THC, by weight, in a cannabis sample, after excluding moisture 

from the sample. The moisture content is expressed as the ratio ofthe amount of moisture in 

the sample to the amount of dry solid in the sample. 

(2) The laboratory shall mill and manicure samples though a wire screen no larger than 

1.5x 1.5mm to discard mature seeds and larger twigs and stems. 

(3) The laboratory shall form sieve a "Test Specimen" and a "Retain Specimen." One 

sample part shall be selected for analysis and labeled "Test Specimen". The other sample 

part shall be marked "Retain Specimen" and shall be packaged and stored in a secured 

place. 

(4) The laboratory shall then determine moisture content or dry to a consistent weight. 

(5) The laboratory will then perform chemical analysis on the sample using postdecarboxylation or other similarly reliable methods where the total THC concentrationlevel 

considers the potential to convert delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) into THC. 

Testing methodologies meeting these requirements include those using gas chromatography 

and high-pressure liquid chromatography. High-performance liquid chromatography 

(HPLC) or (LC) is a scientific method (specifically, a type of chromatography) used in 

analytical chemistry used to separate, identify, and quantify each component in a mixture. It 

relies on pumps to pass a pressurized liquid solvent containing the sample mixture through a column 

filled with a solid adsorbent material to separate and analyze compounds. Under the terms of this 

part, HPLC is one ofthe valid methods by which laboratories may test for THC concentration levels. 
Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC) is an additional method that may also be used 

as well as other liquid or gas chromatography with detection. 

(6) The laboratory will then calculate total THC on a dry weight basis. 

(B) Testing Methods. The total available THC, derived from the sum ofthe THC and THCA 

content, shall be determined and reported on a dry weight basis. Alternative testing protocols 

will be considered if they are comparable to the baseline established under the TOA program 

and procedures. Alternative sampling and testing procedures must be requested in writing and 

approved in writing by TDA. 

Laboratories shall use appropriate, validated methods and procedures for all testing activities 

and evaluate measurement of uncertainty. Laboratories shall meet the AOAC International 

standard method performance requirements (SMPR) for selecting an appropriate method. The 

range of estimated uncertainty is reported as a± value and is the same unit as the hemp THC 

threshold (0.3% THC), following best practices for significant figures and rounding. 

There are resources available for defining, guiding, and calculating measurement uncertainty. 

They include the GUM, ISO, and Eurachem. It is necessary for the laboratory to determine 

the uncertainty of accuracy (Ubias), repeatability (ur), and reproducibility (uR) for each 

validated method. Once the expanded measurement uncertainty (U) is determined, then the 

confidence interval can be calculated around a designated threshold such as the hemp THC 

threshold (0.3% THC). Based on the aforementioned resources, the following equation is 

recommended: 

Equation: 

U =k X Uc 

Where, 

And: 

u = standard uncertainty (standard deviation) 

ur = uncertainty due to repeatability 

uR = uncertainty due to reproducibility 

ubias = uncertainty due to accuracy (bias) 

uc = combined standard uncertainty 

U = Expanded uncertainty= u/mean*k95% confidence level, k = 2 

k = coverage factor, use 2 for a 95% confidence level 
Texas Department ofAgriculture Sampling and 

Collection Procedure 

Purpose: 

I. Standard sampling guidelines are specified for field and greenhouse sampling ofhemp. 

2. Samples are taken to obtain specimens for the measurement of tetrahydrocannabinol 

(THC) content, which determine whether the specimens are hemp or marijuana. The 

measurements are intended to be representative of the THC content in a lot of hemp crop 

acreage as identified by the producer. Hemp producers may not harvest hemp prior to the 

hemp being sampled and tested for THC concentration. Testing procedures are provided in a 

separate document. 

Scope: 

I. Samples collected under this procedure are acceptable for submission to a qualified, 

ISO accredited and DEA-registered laboratory for determination ofTHC in hemp. 

2. Pursuant to 7 CFR §990.3(a)(2)(i), samples will be taken from a lot within 15 days prior 

to the anticipated harvest of cannabis plants. 

3. Samples must be collected by a TOA Inspector or authorized representative, or a law 

enforcement agent authorized by TDA to collect samples. It is the responsibility of the 

licensed producer to pay any fees associated with sampling. 

Summary of Practice: 

1. This practice provides procedures for entering a growing area and collecting the minimum 

number of plant specimens necessary to represent a homogeneous composition of the lot that 

is to be sampled. An authorized representative enters a growing area, strategically examines 

the growing area, establishes an approach for navigating the growing area, and collects 

individual specimens of plants in order to obtain a representative sample of hemp in the 

designated lot. Samples will be collected in accordance with 7 CFR §990.3(a)(2)(ii) and 

applicable USDA guidance. 

2. Cuttings from each lot of hemp crop acreage, as identified by the producer, and submitted 

to and uniquely identified by TDA per the requirements of the TDA hemp production 

program, shall be organized as composite samples. 

Equipment and Supplies: 

l. Garden pruners/shears (Cleaned prior to and following each composite sample. Some 

examples of appropriate cleaning agents and supplies to use on garden pruners/shears are 

bleach, rubbing alcohol, steel wool, and/or sandpaper.) 

2. Sample bags, paper. 

2.1. The size ofthe bags will depend upon the number of clippings collected per plot. 

2.2 The bags should be made from material known to be free from THC and kept separate 

from any samples already collected. 

3. Security tape 

4. Permanent markers 

5. Sample collection forms 

6. GPS Unit 

7. Disposable gloves- Nitrite 
Sampling Guidelines: 

I. The licensee or designated employee shall accompany the sampling agent throughout 

the sampling process. 

2. Surveillance ofthe lot. 

2.1. The inspector shall verify the GPS coordinates of the lot as compared with the 

GPS coordinates submitted by the licensee to TOA. 

2.2. The inspector shall estimate the average height, appearance, approximate 

density, condition of the plants, and degree of maturity of the flowering material, 

meaning inflorescences (flowers/buds). 

2.3. The inspector shall visually establish the homogeneity ofthe stand to establish that 

the growing area is of like variety. 

3. Time ofSampling: 

3.1. Within 15 days prior to the anticipated harvest of cannabis plants, an authorized 

person shall collect representative samples from such cannabis plants for THC concentration 

level testing. 

4. Field Sampling: 

4.1. For purposes ofdetermining the number of individual plants to select for sampling, 

the size of the growing area shall be considered. For sampling purposes, samples from 

separate lots must be kept separate and not be comingled. 

4.2. For lots of less than one acre, including greenhouses, select a minimum of 5 plants, 

then take a cutting from the plant to form a sample. For lots of 2 to lO acres, including 

greenhouses, select a minimum of 5 plants per lot, then take cuttings of each plant, then 

combine to form a composite sample. 

4.3. For growing areas larger than ten (I 0) acres, including greenhouses, the number 

of plants that will be selected to form a composite sample is based upon the Codex 

Alimentarius Recommended Methods of Sampling for the Determination of Pesticide 

Residues for Compliance with MRLS CAC/GL 33-1999. 

4.3.1. The sample size is estimated in a two-step process. The first step is to estimate 

the number of primary plants to be sampled. The second step is to adjust the estimate of 

primary plants by the acreage under cultivation. 

4.3.2. The initial number of primary plants is estimated using 

ln(l -p) 

110 - ln(l-i) 

where p is the confidence level to detect hemp plants having THC content greater than the 

acceptable hemp THC level and i is the proportion ofhemp plants having THC content greater 

than the acceptable hemp THC level. The values for i are based on past experience in the same 

or similar growing areas. 

4.3.3. The initial primary plants estimate is adjusted by the number of acres to calculatethe 

minimum number of primary plants for compositing as follows: 

1io 

n= 

1 fuo - 1)

+ N 
where n is the minimum number of primary plants to be selected for forming a composite 

sample, no is the initial number of primary plants, and N is the number of acres under 

cultivation. 

4.3.4. Example 1 : The initial primary plant sample size is 299 with a confidence level of 

95% to detect hemp plants having THC content greater than the acceptable hemp THC level and 

a proportion of hemp plants having THC content of greater than the acceptable hemp THC level 

equal to 0.01 is considered appropriate. The adjusted primary plant sample sizes for lots from 11 

to 173 acres in size are shown in the following table: 

I ! ' 

Number 

of acres 

.. ~arrJ.pl~ _ 

Size "n" •~-. Number 

of acres 

___S~mpl~--

Size "n" ··-

-· 

~--. 

Number 

of acres 

Sampl~. 

Size "n" 

11 11 40 36 75-76 61 

12 12 41-42 37 77 62 

13 13 43 38 78-79 63 

14 14 ... 

.. 

44 39 80-81 64 

15 15 45-46 40 82 65

16 16 47 41 83-84 66 

17 17 48 42 85-86 67 

18-19 18 49-50 43 87 68 

20 19 51 44 88-89 69 

21 20 52 45 90-91 70 

22 21 53-54 46 92 71 

23 22 55 47 93-94 72 

24 23 56 48 95-96 73 

25-26 24 57-58 49 97-98 74

27 25 59 50 99 75 

28 26 60-61 51 100-101 76 

29 27 62 52 102-103 77 

30 28 63-64 53 104-105 78 

31-32 29 65 54 106-107 79 

33 30 66-67 55 108 80 

34 31 68 56 109-110 81 

35 32 69-70 57 111-112 82 

36 33 71 58 113-114 83 

37-38 34 72-73 59 115-116 84 

39 35 74 60 117-118 85 

Number _Sa_111p!~

of acres Size "n"

119-120 86 

121-122 87 

123-124 88 

125-126 89 

127-128 90 

129-130 91 

131-132 92 

133-134 93 

135-136 94 

137-138 95 

139-140 96 

141-143 97 

144-145 98 

146-147 99 

148-149 100 

150152 101 

153-154 102 

155-156 103 

157-157 104

159-161 105 

162-163 106 

164-166 107 

167-168 108 

169-170 109 

171-173 110 
Example 2: The adjusted primary plant sample sizes for fie lds from less than I to IO acres in 

size are shown in the fo llowing table: 

Number of Sample 

Acres "N" Size " n" 

Less than I 5 

I 5 

2 5 

3 5 

4 5 

5 5 

6 6 

7 7 

8 8 

9 9 

10 10 

5. Collecting Samples from each lot: 

5. 1. Sampling agents shall always walk at right angles to the rows of plants, 

beginningat one point of the lot and walking towards another point on the opposite side 

of the lot. 

5.2. While walking through the growing area, the inspector shall cut at least 

"n" flowering materi al, meaning inflorescences (the flower or bud of a plant) at 

random but convenient distances. Avoid collecting too many specimens from the 

borders of the fi e ld/greenhouse. 

5.3. The cut shall be made just underneath a flowering material, meaning inflorescence 

(the flower or bud of a plant), located at the top one-third { I /3) of the plant. (See figure 

below.) The sample size must be of adequate volume to accommodate laboratory tests. 

5.4. Utilize a paper sample bag for collecting sample cuttings. Ensure that each bag 

has the minimum number of cuttings, n, as calculated by 4.3.3, or in the Example Tables I 

and 2. 

5.5. Seal each bag and record the sample number. 

6. Sample identification: 

6. 1 The inspector shall seal each bag and record the sample identification number. The 

sample shall also be identified with the fo llowing information: 

(I) The sample ID shall include: Sampling agent contact information; name and contact 

information of the producer; producer hemp license number ; date of sample; and " lot" ID as 

provided by TDA; any other information that may be required by mail deli very services. 
Texas Department of Agriculture Non-compliant Cannabis Disposal Procedure 

Pursuant to 7 C.F.R. §990.3(a)(3)(iii)(E), a state administering its hemp program must have an 

effective disposal procedure for non-compliant hemp plants. The procedure must be in accordance 

with DEA reverse distributor regulations found at 21 C.F.R. §1317.15. 

TOA has proposed rules implementing the notice and disposal requirements pertaining to noncompliant cannabis plants referenced in 7 C.F.R. §990.3 and §990.27. TOA is coordinating with 

and will continue to coordinate with federal, state, and local law enforcement as well as other 

Texas State agencies to ensure non-compliant cannabis plants are disposed of in an appropriate 

manner. 

A summary ofTDA's disposal procedure is provided below: 

1. In addition to mandatory pre-harvest testing, TOA, the producer or the Texas Department 

of Public Safety may take representative samples of cannabis plants at any time. 

2. TOA shall be timely notified oftest results. 

3. Representative sample tests results exceeding the acceptable hemp THC level shall result 

in the disposal of the lot from which the sample was taken. 

4. In the event disposal is warranted, the non-compliant cannabis plants may not be further 

handled, processed, or enter the stream of commerce other than for disposal purposes in 

strict compliance with the CSA and DEA regulations. 

5. Within five (5) days ofreceiving notice ofnon-compliance or notice ofdisposal from TOA, 

the license-holder shall contact a DEA-registered reverse distributor or other authorized 

person or entity to request disposal in accordance with state and federal law. 

6. The license holder shall surrender the non-compliant cannabis plants to the appropriate 

DEA-registered reverse distributor or other authorized person or entity in accordance with 

the CSA and DEA regulations. 

7. The reverse distributor or other authorized person or entity shall destroy the non-compliant 

cannabis plants in accordance with the CSA and DEA regulations. 

8. Producers must notify the USDA and TOA of their intent to dispose of non-compliant 

cannabis plants and verify disposal by submitting required documentation including test 

results. 

9. TOA will timely notify USDA by certified mail or electronically of any non-compliant 

cannabis plants and attach to such notification the relevant disposal records.