BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 3429

By: Gutierrez

Agriculture & Livestock

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Since 2000, Texas has been working to prevent childhood obesity and the chronic diseases associated with it. While most of these efforts have focused on the school-aged child, studies point to the benefits of beginning such efforts in early childhood.  The Texas AgriLife Extension Service — formerly the Texas Agricultural Extension Service and still referred to by its old name in many statutes — has been helping economically disadvantaged parents of young children learn practical lessons in basic nutrition through the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program that began in 1969.  In 1995, the extension service expanded its nutrition education program through the Better Living for Texans program, serving food stamp recipients and applicants as well as other approved audiences. 

C.S.H.B. 3429 ensures that as Texas progresses toward addressing childhood obesity issues among pre-school aged children that the experience and expertise of the extension service are utilized by the larger agencies responsible for the administration of various related education and nutrition programs. 

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

C.S.H.B. 3429 amends the Education Code to require the Texas AgriLife Extension Service to make a presentation to the commissioner of education, the commissioner of agriculture, and the commissioner of the Department of State Health Services on the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), which provides nutrition education for economically disadvantaged parents of young children, and the Better Living for Texans (BLT) program, a component of the national Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that provides education programs to food stamp recipients, applicants, and other approved audiences to help improve their ability to plan and prepare nutritious meals, stretch food dollars, and prepare and store food safely. The bill requires the extension service also to make presentations on other similar programs and to provide copies of reports on those programs to the Texas Education Agency, the Texas Department of Agriculture, and the Department of State Health Services, and any council in which representatives from all three of those agencies are members.

C.S.H.B. 3429 requires the Texas AgriLife Extension Service not later than December 15 of each even-numbered year, to provide a copy of each report to the legislature.

C.S.H.B. 3429 provides that the bill does not affect any other requirement for the extension service to make a report to any state or federal agency. The bill defines "extension service."

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the act does not receive the necessary vote, the act takes effect September 1, 2009.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 3429 differs from the original by defining "extension service" to mean the Texas AgriLife Extension Service rather than the Texas Agricultural Extension Service, and by applying the definition only to the subchapter that the substitute adds rather than the full chapter to which the substitute and original add a subchapter.

C.S.H.B. 3429 differs from the original by removing the requirement that the extension service to administer the nutrition programs, instead requiring the extension service to make presentations on the programs to certain persons.

C.S.H.B. 3429 characterizes the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) as providing education for economically disadvantaged parents of young children, rather than for economically disadvantaged families as in the original.  The substitute characterizes the national Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as helping recipients stretch food dollars, whereas the original refers to helping recipients to spend food dollars efficiently.

C.S.H.B. 3429 deletes a requirement in the original that the extension service make a presentation on the programs to any council in which representatives from the agencies headed by the commissioner of education, the commissioner of agriculture, and the commissioner of the Department of State Health Services are members, instead requiring presentations to any council of which representatives from the Texas Education Agency, the Texas Department of Agriculture, and the Department of State Health Services are all members.  The substitute deletes a requirement that the extension service make required presentations not later than December 15 of each even-numbered year.

C.S.H.B. 3429 refers to the extension service's provision of copies of reports to specified executive branch agencies, rather than the provision of reports as in the original.  The substitute requires those documents to go to the Texas Educational Agency, the Texas Department of Agriculture, and the Department of State Health Services generally, rather than to the education commissioner, the agriculture commissioner, and the commissioner of the Department of State Health Services specifically as in the original. 

C.S.H.B. 3429, with respect to the provision to the legislature of a copy of each report, adds a requirement that such copy be provided not later than December 15 of each even-numbered year.

C.S.H.B. 3429 adds a provision, not in the original, specifying that the reporting provisions do not affect any other requirement for the extension service to make a report to any state or federal agency.

C.S.H.B. 3429 removes a provision from the original authorizing the extension service to enter into interagency contracts and agreements and to contract with local, state, county, federal, and private entities.