BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 4469

By: Meza

Homeland Security & Public Safety

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

It has been suggested that, as disaster and emergency situations continue to increase, additional research is needed on how to effectively assist and accommodate persons who are elderly and persons with disabilities during these situations. H.B. 4469 seeks to improve lifesaving care for these persons by establishing a task force to administer a grant program aimed at providing financial support to persons who are elderly and to persons with disabilities during disaster and emergency situations and to study methods to assist and accommodate such persons.

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. 4469 amends the Government Code to require the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) to establish procedures to administer a grant program from which applicable appropriated funds and gifts, grants, and donations are used to award grants to provide financial support for certain activities, strategies and procedures, state and local policies, and research related to disasters and affected persons who are elderly and persons with disabilities. The bill establishes the 11-member task force on disaster issues affecting persons who are elderly and persons with disabilities to administer the grant program and study methods to more effectively assist such persons during a disaster or emergency evacuation and to accommodate such persons in emergency shelters. The bill sets out provisions relating to the task force's composition and provides for its administration and operation.

H.B. 4469 requires the task force to review grant proposals and recommend grant recipients to TDEM and requires TDEM to award grants based on those recommendations. The bill requires the procedures established by TDEM to administer the grant program to include a procedure for the submission of a proposal. The bill requires TDEM to enter into a contract with each grant recipient that includes performance requirements and to monitor and enforce the contract's terms. The contract must authorize TDEM to recoup grant money for failure to comply with the contract's terms. The bill authorizes TDEM to solicit and accept gifts, grants, and donations from any source for the purpose of awarding the grants.

H.B. 4469 requires the task force to study methods to more effectively accommodate persons who are elderly and persons with disabilities during a disaster or emergency evacuation and sets out the required contents of the study. The bill requires the task force, not later than December 1, 2020, to develop and submit a written report of the study and recommendations developed by the task force to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and each member of the legislature. The bill's provisions expire June 1, 2021.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2019.