The State of Texas Hemp: Where We Are, How We Got Here & Where We’re Headed

Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller

An eighth-generation farmer and rancher, Sid Miller is the 12th Commissioner of the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA). He has devoted his life to promoting Texas agriculture, rural communities and the great state of Texas.

Born in De Leon, in Comanche County, in September 1955, Sid Miller graduated with honors from Tarleton State University in Stephenville with a Bachelor of Science degree in Vocational Ag Education. A recognized community leader, Miller was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2000. He quickly earned a reputation as a staunch defender of Texas agriculture, constitutional freedoms and individual liberties for all Texans. He was elected statewide as the 12th Texas Agriculture Commissioner in 2014, and re-elected to his second term in office in 2018.

Since taking office as Agriculture Commissioner, Commissioner Miller has brought real, common sense reform to TDA. Within six months in office, he eliminated a two-and-a-half-year backlog in organic certifications. He reshaped field operations to maximize efficiency for Texas taxpayers. This included increasing the number of consumer protection inspections by as much as 183 percent while slashing the miles traveled by TDA inspectors by more than half a million miles a year.

Commissioner Miller also launched Operation Maverick, a consumer protection initiative to round up businesses which failed to register their commercial scales with TDA. Registrations have increased 35 percent, and more than 2,000 previously unregistered businesses are now monitored by TDA to ensure consumers are protected.

A former ag teacher and school board member, Commissioner Miller is committed to fighting childhood obesity and promoting healthy lifestyles for Texas schoolchildren. His creation of Farm Fresh Fridays and other farm-to-school initiatives resulted in a $14 million increase in the amount of Texas products purchased by schools. Commissioner Miller is also passionate about ensuring rural communities have the water and infrastructure they need to thrive. To that end, he created TDA’s Office of Water to ensure all Texans have access to clean water for today and future generations. Additionally, under his guidance, TDA has directed hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding through the Texas Community Development Block Grant program to local communities for infrastructure improvements and repairs.

Commissioner Miller is the state’s leading advocate around the world for Texas agriculture, Texas-grown products and Texas-owned businesses. He oversees TDA’s world-renowned GO TEXAN program — a marketing effort to showcase the best products, companies and communities that call the Lone Star State home. Since taking office, Commissioner Miller’s passion to increase market exposure for Texas agriculture has led him and his staff to mount trade missions to Cuba, Ecuador, Argentina, Israel, China and every continent on the globe, except Antarctica.

Commissioner Miller is a businessman who breeds and trains American Quarter Horses. In his spare time, he is a recognized rodeo cowboy who holds 12 world championship titles. He and his wife, Debra, have been married for over 40 years. They have two sons, two daughters-in-law and five grandchildren. They are active members of the Cowboy Church of Erath County, where Commissioner Miller also serves as an elder.

Ilissa Nolan serves as the Executive Director for the Texas Hemp Coalition that is founded to serve as the premier non-profit representing the industry in Texas. Ms. Nolan was one of the few lobbyist that worked to pass HB 1325 which made it legal to grow and process hemp in Texas. She also serves as a government affairs consultant for Booth & Associates P.C. where she works to build policy through stakeholder collaboration and educating clients on cutting edge issues surrounding state and federal environmental matters, especially topics involving agriculture, rural affairs and environmental issues. Most recently she served as the Government Relations Director for the Texas Department of Agriculture. She received a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Leadership and Development with a minor in Horticulture from Texas A&M University. As well, she received a Master of Science in Agricultural Communications from Texas Tech University. Ms. Nolan has worked as a Congressional Intern for the House Agriculture Committee under Chairman Frank Lucas and was honored to serve as the Reading Clerk for the Texas House of Representatives of the 83rd Legislative Session. She worked as the Executive Assistant for Natural Resources Solutions, L.C. a consulting firm specialized in regulatory and non-regulatory natural resource and environmental issues. Also, she served as the Legislative Director for Representative Charles “Doc” Anderson, Vice Chairman of the Agriculture and Livestock Committee. She is a member of the Texan by Nature Next Generation Advisory Council, Junior League of Austin and Women’s Symphony League of Austin.

Lisa L. Pittman, Esq. is a Nonresident Fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, Drug Policy Program, is appointed to the Texas Department of Agriculture Industrial Hemp Advisory Council, and is Chair-elect of the American Bar Association’s Cannabis Law & Policy Committee. She advocates for the improvement of marijuana and hemp laws in Texas and federally. In 2020, Lisa was awarded the Texas Lawyer Trailblazer Award and the National Law Journal Trailblazer Award for cannabis law. Her work in the Texas legalization movement earned her the moniker, “The First Lady of Texas Cannabis Law.” Lisa is a twenty-year commercial litigation attorney who has focused on cannabis for the past six, including 2 years spent in Colorado to learn the industry and obtain her Colorado Bar License. She counsels clients from investors and ancillary service providers to farmers, processors, manufacturers, laboratories, distributors, and retailers in all manners of legal and business decisions. Lisa works across the country and internationally, and she understands the challenges, including tax, banking, financing, insurance, and regulatory compliance issues. Using her network, she navigates these obstacles and facilitate solutions. Lisa is also a certified mediator and arbitrator, and frequently lectures and publishes about cannabis law.