82R7451 EES-D
By: King of Taylor H.B. No. 3451
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to allowable food purchases under the supplemental
nutrition assistance program.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. FINDINGS AND DECLARATION OF POLICY. The
legislature finds that:
(1) Texans are committed to ensuring the health of
families and children and understand the importance of the role
preventive health care measures have on population health and the
state economy;
(2) consuming healthy foods such as fruits,
vegetables, whole grains, fat-free and low-fat dairy products, and
seafood, and consuming fewer foods with sodium, saturated and trans
fats, added sugars, and refined grains, are important preventive
health care measures; and
(3) tax dollars intended to support a family's access
to an adequate and nutritional diet should not be diverted to
subsidize the purchase of items of minimal nutritional value.
SECTION 2. WAIVER OR OTHER AUTHORIZATION TO ALIGN ALLOWABLE
FOOD ITEMS UNDER CERTAIN PROGRAMS. (a) The executive commissioner
of the Health and Human Services Commission, the Department of
State Health Services, and the Texas Department of Agriculture
shall develop and seek a waiver or other appropriate authorization
from the United States secretary of agriculture under Section 17,
Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. Section 2026), to restrict
the purchase of food items with minimal nutritional value under the
supplemental nutrition assistance program provided under Chapter
33, Human Resources Code, by amending the list of allowable food
items under the program to better align that list with the allowable
food purchases under the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for
Women, Infants and Children established under 42 U.S.C. Section
1786 and the national free or reduced-price lunch program
established under 42 U.S.C. Section 1751 et seq.
(b) As soon as practicable after the effective date of this
Act, the agencies described by Subsection (a) of this section shall
apply for and actively pursue the waiver or other authorization as
required by that subsection.
SECTION 3. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect
immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members
elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas
Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for
immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2011.