SRC-MWN S.B. 334 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research Center S.B. 334 77R1251 KKA-FBy: Van de Putte Education 3/28/2001 As Filed DIGEST AND PURPOSE Currently, the Texas Department of Human Services (DHS) administers the summer food program in various school district facilities. As proposed, S.B. 334 requires DHS and the Texas Education Agency to jointly develop adequate alternative facilities for the summer food program. S.B. 334 also adds new criteria to the summer food grant program to encourage increased program participation from local sponsors. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Sections 33.024(e), (g), (h), and (m), Human Resources Code, to require school district facilities to be utilized for the summer program unless the district provides documentation, verified by the Texas Department of Human Services (department) and the Texas Education Agency (agency), showing that the cost to the district exceeds the funds available for the summer program or showing, rather than the department verifying, that the program will operate at adequate alternative facilities. Requires the department and the agency, in cooperation with the field offices, to jointly develop criteria to be used in determining whether alternative facilities are adequate. Requires the department and the agency to include information relating to the developed criteria in the notification provided to school districts under Subsection (d). Authorizes a waiver under Subsection (f) to be granted by the department and the agency to a school district if the district provides, rather than works with, the field offices with a list of, rather than to identify, other persons and agencies in the district who were contacted as potential providers or sites for the summer program. Prohibits the department and the agency from granting, rather than if the school district has requested, a waiver under Subsection (f) until the school district and the field offices have worked together (rather than being unable to provide a list of possible sponsors to the department, in which case field offices are required to continue efforts) to locate an alternative sponsor for the summer program or have jointly determined that an alternative sponsor is unavailable. Requires the department to administer a grant program from funds appropriated or otherwise made available for that purpose. Requires the department to design the grant program to encourage eligible organizations to serve as local sponsors, but not meal preparation sites, for the summer program by awarding a financial supplement for each meal served and encourage increased program participation by awarding business to local sponsors who serve a number of meals during a summer that is at least 10 percent higher than the number of meals the sponsor served during the previous summer, rather than from funds appropriated or otherwise made available for that purpose. SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2001.