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BILL ANALYSIS |
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By: Rios Ybarra |
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Many food banks along the Texas Gulf Coast were badly depleted after the hurricanes in 2008.
When Hurricane Dolly hit South Texas, the supplies in the Rio Grande Valley food banks
diminished quickly because of the severity of the storm. Food banks and pantries in the Houston
area passed along most of their food supplies to assist their neighbors in South Texas. A short
time later, Houston was hit by Hurricane Ike, leaving most of its food banks and pantries greatly
depleted. The lack of supplies broadened the emergency response services after the disaster, as
the Federal Emergency Management Agency took a large amount of time to replenish these
supplies.
H.B. 1326 authorizes the inclusion of provisions for quickly replenishing the food supplies of area food banks or food pantries following a disaster in the comprehensive state emergency management plan.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS
H.B. 1326 amends the Government Code to authorize the inclusion of provisions for quickly
replenishing the food supplies of area food banks or food pantries following a disaster in the
comprehensive state emergency management plan prepared and kept current by the division of
emergency management in the office of the governor.
EFFECTIVE DATE
On passage, or, if the act does not receive the necessary vote, the act takes effect September 1,
2009.