By:  West, Zaffirini, Bernsen                          S.B. No. 297
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to providing supplemental financial assistance to certain
 1-3     grandparents.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subsection (a), Section 31.0041, Human Resources
 1-6     Code, is amended to read as follows:
 1-7           (a)  To the extent funds are appropriated for this purpose,
 1-8     the department may provide supplemental financial assistance in
 1-9     addition to the amount of financial assistance granted for the
1-10     support of a dependent child under Section 31.003 to a person who:
1-11                 (1)  is 45 [50] 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;
1-14                 (3)  is the primary caretaker of the dependent child;
1-15                 (4)  has a family income that is at or below 200 [100]
1-16     percent of the federal poverty level; and
1-17                 (5)  does not have resources that exceed the amount
1-18     allowed for financial assistance under this chapter.
1-19           SECTION 2.  If before implementing any provision of this Act
1-20     a state agency determines that a waiver or authorization from a
1-21     federal agency is necessary for implementation of that provision,
1-22     the agency affected by the provision shall request the waiver or
1-23     authorization and may delay implementing that provision until the
1-24     waiver or authorization is granted.
1-25           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.