A man who rose through the ranks of Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) and elected into the State House of Representatives has been named the chair of a new subcommittee on private property rights in water.
Rep. DeWayne Burns of Johnson County will chair the new subcommittee that includes fellow TFB leader Kyle Kacal.
“Long before becoming a member of the legislature, I was a Farm Bureau member working to protect the rights of farmers and ranchers,” Burns said. “My service as a state representative is really just an extension of much of what I’ve been doing my entire adult life. As a member of the House Natural Resources Committee, I was able to draft and guide HB 4112 into law; a bill which will strengthen the position of landowners when it comes to regulating groundwater. Now, as Chair of the newly formed Subcommittee on Private Property Rights in Water, I’m in a unique position to further define and protect the rights of rural Texans, which is critically important as we face ever expanding federal regulation and as cities continue looking around the state for solutions to their growing water demands.”
In addition to Burns and Kacal, Reps. Tracy King, Lyle Larson and James Frank will also serve on the subcommittee created by Rep. Jim Keffer, who is chair of the Committee on Natural Resources.
The subcommittee, according to Keffer, was created to examine how to supply water while respecting private property rights.
“Texas is blessed with tremendous economic and population growth,” Keffer wrote in his memorandum. “While this growth presents unprecedented opportunities, our water supplies will be key in sustaining it and the Texas Dream into the future.”
In his memorandum, Keffer also noted federal actions threaten rights of landowners and it’s the responsibility of the legislature to closely examine how to meet the state’s needs while still respecting landowner’s rights.