BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 711

By: Raymond

Public Health

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties note that childhood obesity is a serious problem in Texas, as indicated by studies showing that significant numbers of school-age children are overweight or obese.
H.B. 711 seeks to help prevent childhood obesity by providing for a childhood health grant program.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

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. 711 amends the Health and Safety Code to require the Department of State Health Services (DSHS), subject to the availability of gifts, grants, and donations, to develop and implement a grant program to support programs related to childhood health, fitness, and obesity prevention. The bill requires DSHS to request proposals for the award of a grant under this program and to evaluate the proposals and award a grant based on a proposed program's quantifiable effectiveness and potentially positive impact on the health of the children who participate in the program. The bill requires a grant awarded under the childhood health program to be made to an organization that has committed resources to the program described in the proposal, authorizes a grant recipient to use grant money received under the program only to pay for activities directly related to the program's purpose, and prohibits the use of grant money for fees or advertising.

H.B. 711 requires DSHS to establish procedures to administer the grant program and to enter into a contract that includes performance requirements with each grant recipient. The bill requires DSHS to monitor and enforce the terms of the contract and requires the contract to authorize DSHS to recoup grant money from a grant recipient for the recipient's failure to comply with the contract's terms. The bill authorizes DSHS to solicit and accept gifts, grants, and donations from any public or private source to implement the grant program and prohibits the legislature from appropriating money from any other sources for the purpose of awarding grants under the program.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2015.