TO:	Honorable James B. Frank, Chair, House Committee on Human Services
FROM:	Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	HB4138 by Schatzline (Relating to the establishment of the Texas Adoption Assistance Program.), As Introduced

The bill would amend Chapter 162, Family Code, by adding Subchapter I, requiring the Comptroller to establish and administer the Texas Adoption Assistance Program which would provide adoptive parents with private sector and public assistance with adoption related expenses. The Comptroller would adopt rules and procedures to implement, administer, and enforce provisions in Subchapter I.

The bill would require the Comptroller to select and certify organizations to participate in the Program, as well as solicit applications and select and approve new certified organizations that meet certain eligibility requirements. 

The bill lists eligibility requirements of adoptive parents to receive an adoption assistance grant, and provides maximum grant amounts based on gross household income. Certified organizations would award a number of one-time adoption assistance grants, as determined by the organization based on available funds, to eligible parents who apply to the Comptroller.

Certified organizations that provide money for adoption assistance grants would be entitled to state matching funds to be used as additional money for the grant award. If the Comptroller determined that appropriations for this purpose were insufficient to match all awarded grants, state matching would not be provided.

The number and amounts of adoption assistance grants that would be awarded by a certified organization, and the appropriations for state matching funds are unknown; therefore, the fiscal impact on the state cannot be estimated.

Local Government Impact

No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.