SRC-MWN S.B. 398 77(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.B. 398
77R4006 BDH-DBy: Duncan
Natural Resources
2/13/2001
As Filed


DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

Currently, due to the fragility of fresh produce, oftentimes food banks
cannot get to the area to harvest donated produce in time and/or do not
have the transportation resources to get that fresh produce to the food
bank across the state before it rots. As proposed, S.B. 398 funds a  grant
program at the Texas Department of Agriculture to support food bank efforts
to collect surplus or unmarketable fresh produce from the Texas
agricultural community for distribution to lowincome families across the
state. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

Rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the Department of Agriculture
in SECTION 1 (Section 20.001, Agriculture Code) of this bill. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Title 2, Agriculture Code, by adding Chapter 20, as
follows: 

CHAPTER 20. GRANT PROGRAM FOR DISTRIBUTION OF SURPLUS AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS

Sec. 20.001. CREATION. Requires the Department of Agriculture (department)
by rule to develop a program to award grants to nonprofit organizations for
the purpose of collecting and distributing surplus agricultural products to
food banks and other charitable organizations that serve needy or
low-income individuals. 

Sec. 20.002. ELIGIBILITY. Provides that a nonprofit organization, subject
to available funds, is eligible to receive a grant under this chapter if
the organization has at least five years of experience coordinating a
statewide network of food banks and charitable organizations that serve
each county of this state; operates a program that coordinates the
collection and transportation of surplus agricultural products to a
statewide network of food banks that provide food to needy or low-income
individuals; and submits to the department, in the manner and time
prescribed by the department, a proposal for the collection and
distribution to food banks or other charitable organizations for use in
providing food to needy or low-income individuals of surplus agricultural
products, including a description, schedule of projected costs, measurable
goals, and a plan for evaluating the success of the proposal. 

Sec. 20.003. REPORT. Requires a nonprofit organization that receives a
grant under this chapter to report the results of the project to the
department in the manner prescribed by the department. 

SECTION 2. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2001.