BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 3963

By: Allen

Public Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

It has been noted that leftover food from schools that has been served and is uneaten is permitted to be donated by the school to a non-profit organization, like a food bank. Furthermore, recent legislative efforts authorized schools to donate surplus food to designated individuals who serve as official representatives of a non-profit organization for the purpose of redistributing the food on campus. After Hurricane Harvey, there were many calls for more opportunities to donate food. H.B. 3963 seeks to address this issue by allowing more people to be eligible to donate food and broadening the types of food that may be donated.

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. 3963 amends the Education Code to change the person through whom a public school district or open-enrollment charter school may allow a campus to elect to donate food to a nonprofit organization from an official of the nonprofit organization who is directly affiliated with the campus, including a teacher, counselor, or parent of a student enrolled at the campus, to either a parent of a student enrolled at the campus or a person who is directly and officially affiliated with the campus, including a teacher or counselor. The bill revises the types of food that may be donated and requires a person who assists in preparing and distributing the food as a volunteer for the nonprofit organization to be trained as required by Health and Safety Code provisions governing food service programs or supervised by a person who has been trained under that law.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2019.