Soon, anyone ordering a dish with “Texas shrimp” or “Gulf shrimp” or “American shrimp” or “Domestic shrimp” in a restaurant in Texas can do so with confidence that they will be served shrimp sourced from the United States.
Yesterday, by a vote of 141 to 0, the Texas House of Representatives passed SB 823 just five days after the Texas Senate passed the bill by a vote of 28 to 3.
The legislation requires all food service suppliers, wholesalers, distributors, and wholesale distributors selling shrimp in Texas to include a label with “clear and conspicuous notice stating whether the shrimp is imported.” Further, the law prohibits restaurants from labeling or representing imported shrimp as “Texas shrimp,” “Gulf shrimp,” “American shrimp,” or “Domestic shrimp.” If there is any violation of these requirements, the legislation authorizes the Texas Health Department, a public health district, a county, or a municipality to impose an administrative penalty. Once signed by the Governor, the law takes effect on September 1, 2025.
SB 823 was introduced by Senator Mayes Middleton (R-11th District), representing Galveston, as a companion bill to HB 735, a bipartisan bill primarily authored by State Representative Terri Leo-Wilson (R-HD23), jointly authored by State Representatives AJ Louderback (R-HD30), Christian Manuel (D-HD22), Oscar Longoria (D-HD35), and Todd Hunter (R-HD32), and co-authored by State Representatives Sheryl Cole (D-HD46), Charles Cunningham (R-HD127), Pat Curry (R-HD56), Gary Gates (R-HD28), Caroline Harris Davila (R-HD52), Carrie Isaac (R-HD73), David Lowe (R-HD91), John Lujan (R-HD118), Shelley Luther (R-HD62), Mike Olcott (R-HD60), Angelia Orr (R-HD13), Joanne Shofner (R-HD11), Valoree Swanson (R-HD150), and Denise Villalobos (R-HD34). The ultimate language adopted in SB 823 was similar to language in HB 1958, a bill authored by State Representative Janie Lopez (R-HD37) and jointly authored by State Representatives Todd Hunter (R-HD32), Denise Villalobos (R-HD34), and Wesley Virdell (R-HD53).
In addition, the Texas Senate also voted yesterday to approve HCR 76, a resolution authored by State Representative A.J. Louderback (R-HD30), co-authored by State Representatives Terri Leo-Wilson (R-HD23) and Janie Lopez (R-HD37), and sponsored in the Senate by Senator Adam Hinojosa (R-17th District). The Texas House of Representatives had already voted on May 19th, by a margin of 133 to 8, to approve the resolution. HCR 76 explains that the shrimp industry in Texas supports more than 14,000 jobs and generates roughly $850 million in economic value for the state each year, but that the future of the industry is in jeopardy due to the glut of low-priced, unfairly-traded imports in the U.S. market. In response, the resolution states:
“That the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas hereby urge the federal government to curb the mass importation of foreign shrimp into the United States to protect the Gulf Coast shrimping industry from unfair competition and to protect consumers from substandard shrimp that does not meet U.S. health standards . . .”
Throughout this legislative process, efforts to support the shrimp industry and provide Texas consumers with the ability to choose domestic shrimp was championed by the Texas Shrimp Association, the Port Arthur Area Shrimpers Association, and SeaD Consulting. Moreover, in the May 19th hearing held before the Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs Committee of the Texas Senate, a representative of the Texas Restaurant Association appeared in support of the legislation.
“Texas’s legislature has proven that there are common sense ways that we can all agree on to ensure that consumers have the option of choosing domestic shrimp when they dine out,” said John Williams, the executive director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance. “The Southern Shrimp Alliance is grateful for the incredible leadership demonstrated by State Representative Terri Leo-Wilson, the work of all of Texas’s legislators involved, and the commitment shown by the Texas Shrimp Association and the Port Arthur Area Shrimpers Association to get this done for an industry that desperately needs the community’s support.”
Read SB 823, as passed, here: https://shrimpalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/SB00823H-1.pdf
Read H.C.R. No. 76 here: https://shrimpalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/HC00076S.pdf