SRC-DBM S.B. 1423 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research CenterS.B. 1423 By: West Human Services 7/21/1999 Enrolled DIGEST Currently, the Texas Department of Human Services estimates that there are approximately 25,000 cases where someone other than a parent is the primary caretaker; 18,000 cases consist of the grandparents as the primary caretakers. Experts have offered several reasons for grandparents raising and helping to raise their grandchildren: increasing drug abuse among parents, teen pregnancy, divorce, a rapid rise in single parent households, mental and physical illness, child abuse and neglect, incarceration, and welfare reform. Most grandparents are older and have limited resources to adequately support their grandchildren. Grandparents and their grandchildren would benefit greatly if policies and programs intended to help traditional parent-child families in times of need could be uniformly extended to grandchildren. S.B. 1423 will provide supplemental financial assistance and services to certain grandparents. PURPOSE As enrolled, S.B. 1423 sets forth provisions for providing supplemental financial assistance and services to certain grandparents. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY This bill does not grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Chapter 31A, Human Resources Code, by adding Section 31.0041, as follows: Sec. 31.0041. SUPPLEMENTAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR CERTAIN PERSONS. Authorizes the Texas Department of Human Services (department) to provide supplemental financial assistance in addition to the amount of financial assistance granted for the support of a dependent child under Section 31.003 to a person who meets certain criteria, to the extent funds are appropriated for this purpose. Authorizes the supplemental financial assistance to include one or more cash payments, not to exceed $1,000, after determination of eligibility. Requires the department to inform a financial assistance applicant who meets the eligibility requirements under Subsection (a) of the availability of supplemental financial assistance. Requires the department to maintain complete records and compile statistics regarding the number of households that receive supplemental financial assistance under this section. Provides that, after a person receives supplemental financial assistance under Subsection (b) on behalf of a dependent child, no other person is eligible under Subsection (a) to receive supplemental financial assistance on behalf of that child. SECTION 2. Amends Chapter 40C, Human Resources Code, by adding Section 40.070, as follows: Sec. 40.070. SUPPORT SERVICES FOR CERTAIN FAMILIES. Requires the department to refer a grandparent to support services offered by the department and inform the grandparent of the availability of financial assistance under Chapter 31, including supplemental financial assistance, and if the eligibility requirements of that chapter are satisfied, if the department places a child who is in the conservatorship of the state in the home of a child's grandparent. Requires the department to maintain complete records and compile statistics regarding the number of children who are placed by the department into the home of a child's grandparent. SECTION 3. Requires an agency affected by a provision to request a waiver or authorization and may delay implementing a provision until the waiver or authorization is granted, if before implementing any provision of this Act a state agency determines that a waiver or authorization from a federal agency is necessary for implementation of a provision. SECTION 4.Effective date: September 1, 1999. SECTION 5.Emergency clause.