HB 1361 passed in the 2005 Legislative Session, giving the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) unconstitutional power to implement the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) in Texas.
HB 461 by Sid Miller, which would have kept NAIS voluntary and removed criminal penalties for non-compliance in Texas, failed to pass the Texas Senate in the 2007 Session.
According to a May 2006 article in The New American, "The NAIS was conceived by the large meat producers in the late '90s as an alternative to country-of-origin
meat labeling legislation introduced by Chenoweth-Hage."
Although NAIS is currently voluntary at the federal level, individual states are beginning to institute enforcement of the program. According to the USDA website, Premises Registration is the first step in implementing the system.
Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) is an authorized agent for Premises Registration for the TAHC. TSCRA sent its members Premises Registration forms and brochures stating that "pending final ruling," registration would be mandatory July 1, 2006. This deadline was put on hold after opponents of NAIS protested.
The USDA "orginally called for a mandatory NAIS to be in place by 2009. Now [Secretary of Agriculture Mike] Johanns says 2009 is the goal for a functional
voluntary system. But Johanns said that if certain benchmarks aren't met, the USDA would consider making the system mandatory" (The New American, May 15,
2006).
USDA's NAIS
http://animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/index.shtml