Honorable Susan Lewis King, Chair, House Committee on Defense & Veterans' Affairs
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB1021 by Farias (Relating to the allocation of certain grants from the fund for veterans' assistance.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would implement a recommendation in the report, "Conduct a Needs Assessment to Improve the Efficiency of Veterans Grant Allocations", in the Legislative Budget Board's Government Effectiveness and Efficiency Report, submitted to the Eighty-third Texas Legislature, 2013.
The bill would require the Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) to conduct a needs assessment that would direct the allocation of grants from the Fund for Veterans Assistance (FVA). TVC awards FVA reimbursement grants to entities that offer direct services to veterans and their families. TVC would conduct the assessment every four years to identify the specific high priority needs of veterans. The assessment would also identify discrepancies between those needs and services available to veterans that address those needs. The agency would incorporate the assessment results into its process for awarding grants, including the use of appropriate grant categories that correspond to the identified needs. The first assessment would be conducted no later than June 1, 2016.
Implementing the bill's provisions could be accomplished using the agency's existing resources.
Local Government Impact
No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.