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.