1-1     By:  Maxey (Senate Sponsor - Truan)                   H.B. No. 1909

 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House May 12, 1997;

 1-3     May 13, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on Health

 1-4     and Human Services; May 18, 1997, reported favorably, as amended,

 1-5     by the following vote:  Yeas 10, Nays 0; May 18, 1997, sent to

 1-6     printer.)

 1-7     COMMITTEE AMENDMENT NO. 1                             By:  Moncrief

 1-8     Amend C.S.H.B. 1909 (Engrossed Version) as follows:

 1-9     (1)  On page 1 of the bill, lines 33 and 34, strike "subject to the

1-10     availability of funds, shall" and substitute "may".

1-11     (2)  On page 1, between lines 37 and 38, insert the following and

1-12     reletter subsequent subsections appropriately.

1-13           (b)  The department may limit the percentage of earnings

1-14     disregarded, impose a time limit on how long the earnings are

1-15     disregarded or gradually reduce the percentage of earnings

1-16     disregarded in order to remain within available funding.

1-17           (c)  Funding for earnings disregards may also come from

1-18     savings associated with sanctions related to noncompliance with the

1-19     personal responsibility agreement and work requirements in this

1-20     chapter, from savings resulting from caseload declines below

1-21     projections specified in the Appropriations bill, and from

1-22     Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant funds.

1-23                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

1-24                                   AN ACT

1-25     relating to the methods used to extend the period of supported

1-26     employment for recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy

1-27     Families.

1-28           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-29           SECTION 1.  Subchapter B, Chapter 31, Human Resources Code,

1-30     is amended by adding Section 31.043 to read as follows:

1-31           Sec. 31.043.  FILL-THE-GAP BUDGETING.  (a)  To extend the

1-32     period of supported employment for families who receive financial

1-33     assistance under this chapter, the department, subject to the

1-34     availability of funds, shall use a form of fill-the-gap budgeting

1-35     or another method under which the department disregards earnings of

1-36     family members who obtain employment while receiving the

1-37     assistance.

1-38           (b)  In this section, "fill-the-gap budgeting" means a system

1-39     of budgeting in which benefits are gradually lowered using a

1-40     percentage of the difference between the standard of need and the

1-41     countable income to calculate the grant benefit.

1-42           SECTION 2.  Sections 7.06(c) and (e), Chapter 655, Acts of

1-43     the 74th Legislature, Regular Session, 1995, are amended to read as

1-44     follows:

1-45           (c)  The department shall report to the governor regarding

1-46     the program's success in assisting families in becoming more

1-47     self-sufficient.  The department shall notify members of the [75th

1-48     and] 76th and 77th legislatures and the standing committees of the

1-49     senate and house of representatives having primary jurisdiction

1-50     over the department of the filing of the report.

1-51           (e)  This section expires September 1, 2001 [1999].

1-52           SECTION 3.  The Texas Department of Human Services shall

1-53     revise the pilot program established by Section 7.06, Chapter 655,

1-54     Acts of the 74th Legislature, Regular Session, 1995, as necessary

1-55     to implement statewide the "fill-the-gap budgeting" program

1-56     prescribed by Section 31.043, Human Resources Code, as added by

1-57     this Act.

1-58           SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-59           SECTION 5.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-60     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-61     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-62     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-63     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

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