| TO: | Honorable Richard Peña Raymond, Chair, House Committee on Human Services |
| FROM: | Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | HB3631 by Canales (Relating to rules concerning unused supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted |
The bill would require the executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to adopt rules to prevent the excessive accumulation of unused benefits by recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. The bill would direct HHSC to consider rules that limit the amount of money that may accumulate in an electronic benefits transfer account and require investigation of any recipient who maintains a high balance of benefits.
HHSC indicates the agency would need to apply for a waiver to implement the provisions of the bill. HHSC also reports there are few SNAP benefit receipients who accumulate high balances, so the work resulting from the investigation requirement would be minimal. HHSC indicates that any costs associated with the bill could be asborbed within the agency's existing resources.
| Source Agencies: | 529 Health and Human Services Commission
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| LBB Staff: | UP, CL, ES, VJC
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