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.