By: West S.B. No. 1423
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
1-1 relating to providing supplemental financial assistance and
1-2 services to certain grandparents.
1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-4 SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 31, Human Resources Code,
1-5 is amended by adding Section 31.0041 to read as follows:
1-6 Sec. 31.0041. SUPPLEMENTAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR CERTAIN
1-7 PERSONS. (a) The department shall provide supplemental financial
1-8 assistance in addition to the amount of financial assistance
1-9 granted for the support of a dependent child under Section 31.003
1-10 to a person who:
1-11 (1) is 45 years of age or older;
1-12 (2) is the grandparent of the dependent child, as
1-13 defined by Section 31.002, who lives at the person's residence; and
1-14 (3) is the primary caretaker of the dependent child.
1-15 (b) Supplemental financial assistance provided to a person
1-16 for the support of a dependent child under this section must
1-17 include:
1-18 (1) a one-time cash payment of $1,000 on determination
1-19 of eligibility for supplemental financial assistance under this
1-20 section; and
1-21 (2) an annual school subsidy in an amount set by the
1-22 department from available funds for each dependent child who:
1-23 (A) lives at the person's residence;
1-24 (B) is the person's grandchild; and
2-1 (C) is eligible for financial assistance under
2-2 this chapter.
2-3 (c) The department shall inform an applicant for financial
2-4 assistance under this chapter who meets the eligibility
2-5 requirements under Subsection (a) of the availability of
2-6 supplemental financial assistance.
2-7 (d) The department shall maintain complete records and
2-8 compile statistics regarding the number of households that receive
2-9 supplemental financial assistance under this section.
2-10 (e) A grandparent or grandparents are not eligible for
2-11 supplemental financial assistance under this section if their
2-12 annual household family income exceeds $50,000.
2-13 SECTION 2. Subchapter C, Chapter 40, Human Resources Code,
2-14 is amended by adding Section 40.070 to read as follows:
2-15 Sec. 40.070. SUPPORT SERVICES FOR CERTAIN FAMILIES. (a) If
2-16 the department places a child who is in the conservatorship of the
2-17 state in the home of a grandparent of the child, the department
2-18 shall:
2-19 (1) refer the grandparent to support services offered
2-20 by the department; and
2-21 (2) inform the grandparent of the availability of
2-22 financial assistance under Chapter 31, including supplemental
2-23 financial assistance, if the eligibility requirements of that
2-24 chapter are satisfied.
2-25 (b) The department shall maintain complete records and
2-26 compile statistics regarding the number of children who are placed
3-1 by the department in the home of a grandparent of the child.
3-2 SECTION 3. If before implementing any provision of this Act
3-3 a state agency determines that a waiver or authorization from a
3-4 federal agency is necessary for implementation of that provision,
3-5 the agency affected by the provision shall request the waiver or
3-6 authorization and may delay implementing that provision until the
3-7 waiver or authorization is granted.
3-8 SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
3-9 SECTION 5. The importance of this legislation and the
3-10 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
3-11 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
3-12 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
3-13 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.