HLSRCC Newsletter

A Message from the Board

Dear Founding Donors and Supporters, Thank you for your continued support since our formation last summer. Your generosity has enabled us to forge crucial relationships with local and state policymakers. We're excited to highlight our progress in this quarterly newsletter.

Our Impact

• Advocacy Focus: Supporting agriculture, education, Western heritage preservation, and entertainment

• Legislative Action: Currently advocating for five key bills in the Texas legislature (details below)

• Community Engagement: Meeting with county commissioners to align our mission with community needs

How You Can Help

• Leverage your networks to expand our supporter base

• Continue to spread the word about HLSRCC and educate the community

• Remember we're a 501(c)4 non-profit with a focused mission

What’s Next

• Expanded community initiatives

• Legislative engagement and education

We look forward to growing our impact throughout this legislative session! We’re proud to be led by a dedicated team of community leaders:

• Ray Hinsley, Chairman of the Board

• Roger Adamson, Board Member

• Liza Alonzo, Board Member

• Juan Garcia, Board Member

• Vernon Lewis, Board Member

• Gregg Reyes, Board Member

• Cullen Spitzer, Board Member

• Kate Tankersley, Board Member

Learn more about their work and vision → HLSRCC.com

A Message from the President, Peter McStravick

In Fall 2024, we launched a comprehensive effort to document the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo's impact across Texas. We collected and analyzed data from the 2024 Show, including scholarship recipients who earned $20,000 four-year awards, educational grant recipients, commercial vendors, horse show exhibitors, and junior livestock show participants. We identified each participant's home county to create a comprehensive statewide impact map.

In March 2025, we sent personalized letters to nearly all Texas legislators showing how their constituents directly benefited from the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Each letter detailed the number of constituents receiving scholarships and grants, local businesses participating as vendors, and community members competing in livestock and horse exhibitions. To ensure accuracy, this county data was carefully cross-referenced with Texas Senate and House legislative districts.

This data-driven approach has already shown significant results. We've received positive feedback from multiple legislators, sparked new conversations about educational initiatives, strengthened advocacy for Rodeo preservation statewide, and expanded awareness of HLSR's reach beyond Greater Houston.

We plan to continue this successful initiative with 2025 statistics, demonstrating year-over-year growth in each legislative district. By sharing this information, we help legislators understand HLSR's far-reaching impact on communities throughout Texas, well beyond the Greater Houston Area.

Policymaker Relations

In addition to the letter campaign, HLSR hosted the Lieutenant Governor of Texas, Dan Patrick, the United States Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, Texas Land Commissioner, Dr. Dawn Buckingham, and Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller as well as many local officials. These tours highlighted the work of the HLSR, demonstrating their impact as a leader in promoting the livestock industry as a means to educate the community on the role agriculture plays in our everyday life. With your help, HLSRCC can continue its mission as a political advocate to ensure the future of agriculture, and the continued success of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

Legislative Activity

These are the five bills that the HLSRCC is currently supporting.

House Bill 1417/Senate Bill 503- This bill mandates the Texas Animal Health Commission to develop and maintain a publicly accessible, searchable online registry along with expanding county clerk’s responsibilities to record livestock identification marks. This bill also will protect the privacy of individuals associated with the record of branding marks.

Click https://legiscan.com/TX/bill/SB503/2025 to see where Senate Bill 503 is in the legislative process. Click https://legiscan.com/TX/bill/HB1417/2025 to see where House Bill 1417 is in the legislative process.

House Bill 495 – This bill aims to provide further protection in animal sales by addressing deceptive trade practices. This amendment would classify the act of providing false or misleading information about the health of an animal being sold or offered for sale as a deceptive trade practice. The bill empowers consumers to seek legal remedies under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act if they are misled about an animal's health condition at the time of purchase.

Click https://legiscan.com/TX/bill/HB495/2025 to see where House Bill 495 is in the legislative process.

House Bill 1399 – Proposes an exemption from property taxation for tangible personal property consisting of animal feed held by the owner for sale at retail. This means that that animal feed being sold at stores shouldn’t be taxed as property every year. The feed is already not taxed at the register, and this bill would also remove the yearly property tax on it. This supports farmers and feed stores further through this tax exemption.

Click https://legiscan.com/TX/bill/HB1399/2025 to see where House Bill 1399 is in the legislative process.

House Bill 1739 – The bill outlines specific requirements for signs that property owners can use to indicate that firearms are not allowed. These signs must: Be posted at each entrance to the property. Include language in both English and Spanish that is identical or substantially similar to "Pursuant to Section 30.05, Penal Code (criminal trespass), a person may not enter this property with a firearm." The bill also allows for an alternative sign that includes a pictogram of a handgun within a circle with a diagonal line through it, indicating that firearms are prohibited. This allows individuals who conceal carry in Texas to better protect themselves from prosecution and legal action.

Click https://legiscan.com/TX/bill/HB1739/2025 to see where House Bill 1739 is in the legislative process.

Senate Bill 1063 –The bill seeks to amend Chapter 113 of the Texas Business & Commerce Code to prohibit business entities or individuals from entering into agreements related to agricultural land in Texas with foreign citizens or foreign-owned companies. The bill also addresses agreements related to critical infrastructure, including communication systems, cybersecurity systems, electric grids, hazardous waste treatment systems, and water treatment facilities. This promotes American agriculture and American farmers through these amendments.

Click https://legiscan.com/TX/bill/SB1063/2025 to see where Senate Bill 1063 is in the legislative process.

If you would like more information, please contact us via email to questions@hlsrcc.com or visit our website HLSRCC.com