Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2003 12:57 PM

Subject: $2 per slaughtered horse for the Texas Agricultural Extension Service aka the Texas Cooperative Extension

The 1997 legislation establishing the brand inspection program at Texas horse slaughter plants provides that $5.00 be collected for each slaughtered horse. Here is part of the law that resulted from the 1997 legislation.

§ 148.029. Fee for Horses Sold to Slaughterer
(a) A slaughterer shall pay the following fees for each horse purchased for slaughter:
(1) $2 to the Texas Agricultural Extension Service; and
(2) $3 to the department, agency, or association authorized and designated by the secretary of agriculture of the United States to inspect livestock in Texas under 7 U.S.C. Section 217a.
(b) The slaughterer shall remit the fees required by Subsection (a) on a weekly basis.
Added by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 780, § 9, eff. Sept. 1, 1997.

I understand that $3.00 goes to the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association for their efforts in recovering stolen horses at the slaughter plants, and $2.00 goes to the "Texas Agricultural Extension Service" which now is called the "Texas Cooperative Extension." I am trying to find out what happened to the $2.00 per horse that has gone to the "Texas Cooperative Extension." According to the information given me by Todd McCartney, there were 40,336 horses slaughtered in 2002, 38,750 in 2001, and 35,630 in 2000 which should result in a total of $229,432 having gone to the Texas Cooperative Extension for those 3 years. Is there a financial statement somewhere showing how funds have been spent since September 1, 1997 when the collection program began? Is this financial statement considered "public information"?