BILL ANALYSIS



C.S.H.B. 2856
By: Raymond
May 7, 1995
Committee Report (Substituted)


BACKGROUND

More than one million Texas children are hungry or at risk of
hunger according to the 1995 Texas Childhood Hunger Identification
Project.  One in nine Texas children under the age of 12 has
inadequate economic, family or community resources to provide
sufficient food security.  Hungry children suffer nearly twice as
many individual health problems and illnesses as their non-hungry
counterparts.  These children also experience more frequent fatigue
and headaches, irritability, and suffer from an inability to
concentrate -- all of which can affect school attendance and
learning.  For each spell of illness, hungry children in Texas
missed an average of 1.5 days of school.

In addition, more than 70 percent of hungry Texas families were
"working poor."  These are families that have at least one member
employed and still have inadequate resources to meet all their
family's food and nutrition needs.

PURPOSE

CSHB 2856 creates the Texas Food Security Council to address the
problem of hunger in Texas.  
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly
grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer,
department, agency, or institution.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Title 9, Human Resources Code, by adding Chapter
136, as follows:

     Sec. 136.001. DEFINITION.  In this chapter, "council" means
the Texas Food Security  Council.

     Sec. 136.002.  TEXAS FOOD SECURITY COUNCIL. (a) Sets forth
     composition of the Texas Food Security Council. (b) Provides
     that the governor designate the presiding officer of the
     council. (c) Provides that members of the council serve
     without compensation.

     Sec. 136.003.  DUTIES OF COUNCIL. (a) Sets forth duties of the
     council. 
     (b) Requires the council to provide local communities with
     information regarding food security.  (c) Provides that the
     council meet at least quarterly. (d)  Not later than December
     1, 1996, requires the council to report to the lieutenant
     governor and speaker of the house on the council's activities
     and make recommendations for legislation to increase local
     communities' food security.

     Sec. 136.004. AGENCY COOPERATION. Requires each agency with a
representative      on the council to cooperate with the council
                    and provide staff, administrative support,
                    information and resources necessary to
                    accomplish the council's duties.

     Sec. 136.005. GRANTS. Provides that the council may apply for
and accept public or     private grants to fund the council's
                         duties.

     Sec. 136.006.  COUNCIL ABOLISHED; EXPIRATION OF CHAPTER. 
     Provides that the council is abolished and this chapter
     expires September 1, 1997.

SECTION 2.     Emergency clause. Effective date: upon passage.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

(1) SECTION 1 (Sec. 136.002 (a)(6)) states that the representative
shall now be appointed by the      Texas Agriculture Extension
                                   Service.

(2) SECTION 1 (Sec. 136.002 (a)(8)) changes number of appointments
to three. Expands   requirements for the appointment. Specifies
                    who shall appoint each person. 

(3) SECTION 1 (Sec. 136.002 (a)(9)) changes number of appointments
to three. Expands   requirements for the appointment. Specifies
                    who shall appoint each person. 

(4) SECTION 1 (Sec. 136.002 (a)(10)) adds one appointment from the
comptroller's office.

(5) SECTION 1 (Sec. 136.002 (b)) of the original bill relating to
terms of the governor's  appointees is deleted.  Conforming
                         changes made on following subsections.

(6) SECTION 1 (Sec. 136.002 (c)) deletes the statement that members
of the council are entitled   to reimbursement for expenses
                              incurred while serving in their
                              official capacity.

(7) SECTION 1 (Sec. 136.003 (c)) relating to meetings is added.

(8) SECTION 1 (Sec. 136.003 (d)(1) and (d)(2)) relating to the
council reporting to the      legislature are added.

(9) SECTION 1 (Sec. 136.006 COUNCIL ABOLISHED; EXPIRATION OF
CHARTER) replaces   the Sunset Provision on the original bill.

SUMMARY OF COMMITTEE ACTION

Pursuant to a posting of public hearing on April 19, 1995, the
House Committee on State Affairs convened in a public hearing to
consider HB 2856.  The chair laid out HB 2856 and recognized Rep.
Raymond to explain the bill. The following persons testified for
the bill: Daniel Lizarraga representing himself and Kathleen
Fitzgerald representing the Sustainable Food Center. The following
person provided neutral testimony on the bill: Ramona Kellam
representing herself. The chair left HB 2856 pending.  The House
Committee on State Affairs considered HB 2856 in a formal meeting
on April 27.  The Committee considered a complete substitute for
the bill. One amendment was offered to the substitute which was
adopted without objection. The substitute as amended was adopted
without objection. The chair directed the staff to incorporate the
amendment into the substitute. The bill was reported favorably as
substituted with the recommendation that it do pass and be printed
and be sent to the Committee on Local and Consent Calendars which
prevailed by a record vote of 15 ayes, 0 nay, 0 PNV, and 0 absent.