| TO: | Honorable Richard Peña Raymond, Chair, House Committee on Human Services |
| FROM: | Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | HB587 by Burnam (Relating to the eligibility of certain persons for the supplemental nutrition assistance program.), As Introduced |
The bill would implement a recommendation in the report, "Increase Food Security by Improving the Consistency of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Eligibility" in the Legislative Budget Board's Government Effectiveness and Efficiency Report submitted to the Eighty-third Texas Legislature, 2013.
The bill would amend Chapter 33 of the Human Resources Code by adding a section that would eliminate the lifetime disqualification of an individual with a felony drug conviction from receipt of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. The bill would also amend Chapter 33 of the Human Resources Code by adding a section that would change the effect of non-compliance with employment and training requirements by the head of a household. Non-compliance with employment and training requirements would disqualify the individual failing to comply, instead of disqualifying the entire household in which he or she resides.
The Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) estimates there would be a minimal cost associated with implementing the provisions of the bill. Based on the LBB’s analysis of HHSC, duties and responsibilities associated with implementing the provisions of the bill could be accomplished using existing resources. The Texas Workforce Commission indicates there could be a shift in services at Local Workforce Development Boards from approximately 1,800 SNAP Employment and Training General Population participants to Able Bodied Adults without Dependents.
| Source Agencies: | 320 Texas Workforce Commission, 529 Health and Human Services Commission
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| LBB Staff: | UP, CL, JI, JQ
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