BILL ANALYSIS


                                                        H.B. 2856
                                              By: Raymond (Ellis)
                                                Natural Resources
                                                          5-25-95
                              Senate Committee Report (Unamended)
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 well-fed
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 the hungry Texas families have
at least one member employed and still have inadequate resources to
meet all their family's food and nutritional needs.

PURPOSE

As proposed, H.B. 2856 creates the Texas Food Security Council.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

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

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

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

            CHAPTER 136. TEXAS FOOD SECURITY COUNCIL

     Sec. 136.001. DEFINITION. Defines "council."
     
     Sec. 136.002. TEXAS FOOD SECURITY COUNCIL. (a) Sets forth the
     composition of the Texas Food Security Council.
     
     (b) Requires the governor to designate the presiding officer
       of the council.
       
       (c) Provides that a member of the council is not entitled to
       receive compensation or reimbursement for travel expenses
       while serving on the council.
       
       Sec. 136.003. DUTIES OF COUNCIL. (a) Sets forth the required
     duties of the council.
     
     (b) Sets forth information the council shall provide to
       local communities.
       
       (c) Requires the council to meet at least quarterly.
       
       (d) Sets forth information the council shall report to the
       lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house of
       representatives no later than December 1, 1996.
       
     Sec. 136.004. AGENCY COOPERATION. Requires each agency with a
     representative on the council to cooperate with the council
     and to provide information and resources necessary to
     accomplish the council's duties.
     
     Sec. 136.005. GRANTS. Authorizes the council to apply for and
     accept public and 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.