Published: October 26, 2009 03:05 pm      

Cattle raisers encourage Texans to vote for Proposition 11

SAN ANTONIO — Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) President Dave Scott joined Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples, State Representative Frank Corte, the Texas Wildlife Association, and the Texas Association of Realtors at a press conference today to rally Texans to vote for Proposition 11 in the upcoming November state constitutional amendment election.

“Thank you to Commissioner Staples for putting this effort together,” Scott stated. “The Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association is proud to support this effort on behalf of more than 15,000 members, most of who own and cherish their private property.

“We’re here today to support Proposition 11, and to remind Texans why it is so important to vote in favor of this proposition. When we talk about eminent domain, people tend to limit that to farmers and ranchers losing their farm and ranch land. While that is very important, especially to the families who farm and ranch millions of Texas acres, rural Texans are not the only ones affected by lax eminent domain laws.

“Any Texan, inside or outside the city limits, who owns a home or property can have it taken away by government if stronger protections are not put in place.

“Those protections begin with the passage of Proposition 11, but they do not end there. As Texas continues to grow, we must continue our work to level the playing field for property owners. We must remember that there is more work to be done during the next legislative session on reforming the eminent domain laws.

“Proposition 11 is a great start and Texans must take advantage of this opportunity by voting yes.”

Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association is a 132-year-old trade organization and is the largest livestock association in Texas. TSCRA has more than 15,000 members who manage approximately four million head of cattle on 51.5 million acres of range and pasture land, primarily in Texas and Oklahoma. TSCRA provides law enforcement services, livestock inspection, legislative and regulatory advocacy and educational opportunities for its members and the industry.