1-1     By:  Zaffirini                                          S.B. No. 45
 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed November 13, 2000; January 10, 2001,
 1-3     read first time and referred to Committee on Health and Human
 1-4     Services; February 19, 2001, reported adversely, with favorable
 1-5     Committee Substitute by the following vote:  Yeas 5, Nays 0;
 1-6     February 19, 2001, sent to printer.)
 1-7     COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 45                    By:  Nelson
 1-8                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-9                                   AN ACT
1-10     relating to hardship exemptions from federal time limits under the
1-11     temporary assistance for needy families program.
1-12           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-13           SECTION 1.  Subchapter A, Chapter 31, Human Resources Code,
1-14     is amended by adding Section 31.0066 to read as follows:
1-15           Sec. 31.0066.  HARDSHIP EXEMPTIONS FROM FEDERAL TIME LIMITS.
1-16     (a)  The department, the Texas Workforce Commission, and the Health
1-17     and Human Services Commission shall jointly adopt rules prescribing
1-18     circumstances that constitute a hardship for purposes of exempting
1-19     a recipient of financial assistance from the application of time
1-20     limits imposed by federal law on the receipt of benefits.
1-21           (b)  The rules must include a broad range of circumstances
1-22     that reasonably prevent recipients of financial assistance from
1-23     becoming self-supporting before expiration of the period specified
1-24     by federal law.
1-25           SECTION 2.  If before implementing any provision of this Act
1-26     a state agency determines that a waiver or authorization from a
1-27     federal agency is necessary for implementation of that provision,
1-28     the agency affected by the provision shall request the waiver or
1-29     authorization and may delay implementing that provision until the
1-30     waiver or authorization is granted.
1-31           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2001, and
1-32     applies to a person receiving financial assistance on or after that
1-33     date regardless of the date on which the person began receiving
1-34     that financial assistance.
1-35                                  * * * * *