Lubbock Left

I attended Democratic Party candidate for Ag Commissioner Hank Gilbert’s press conference Wednesday on my lunch break. The purpose of Hank’s stop in Lubbock was to unveil his bold plan to reform the Texas Department of Agriculture. There are a few main points that I want to emphasize:

1) Put the TDA in charge of Texans’ food safety, period. Hank calls for a single agency — the TDA — to take responsibility for inspecting food products at every stage of transportation and even into the grocery stores themselves. Given the unfortunate peanut incident an hour north of here, I think food safety ought to be on everyone’s mind. Hank seems to be the only candidate with an idea of how to improve our food safety.

2) Stop ripoffs at the gas pump. Weights and Measures, one of the primary responsibilities of the Ag Commissioner, is an aspect of the TDA that has weakened over the years. For example, prior to 1989, gas pumps had to be inspected annually to demonstrate that they work correctly. Now, that rate of inspection has slid to once every four years. That basically gives carte blanche to gas stations to rip people off for years at a time if they want. Hank proposes an “inspection every two years” plan, with stations that fail or have complaints inspected annually. Sensible consumer protection, in my opinion.

3) Reform the TDA. There are several key reforms lumped into this category, actually. Hank advocates for folding some smaller related agencies into TDA (e.g. Forest service, Texas Wildlife Services, Texas Animal Health Commission). He also wants to create an independent Office of Inspector General whose job it would be to represent the TDA in legal matters and to audit the TDA from within. Additionally, Hank supports the passage of the Limited Agricultural Cooperatives Act, which would make it easier for rural Texans to form agricultural coops.

Give Hank Gilbert’s full plan a read yourself and to see the vision that Hank Gilbert has for leading the TDA into the 21st century.