Texas 2013 - 83rd Regular

Texas House Bill HB948 Compare Versions

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Old	New	Differences
1	1	83R17830 EES-D
2	2	By: King of Taylor, Riddle, White, H.B. No. 948
3	3	N. Gonzalez of El Paso, Raymond, et al.
4	4	Substitute the following for H.B. No. 948:
5	5	By: Raymond C.S.H.B. No. 948
6	6
7	7
8	8	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
9	9	AN ACT
10	10	relating to the operation and administration of the supplemental
11	11	nutrition assistance program.
12	12	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
13	13	SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 33, Human Resources Code,
14	14	is amended by adding Sections 33.032, 33.033, and 33.034 to read as
15	15	follows:
16	16	Sec. 33.032. PILOT PROJECTS TO ENCOURAGE HEALTHY FOOD
17	17	CHOICES. (a) The department shall develop and seek waivers or
18	18	other appropriate authorization from the United States Department
19	19	of Agriculture or other applicable federal agency to implement the
20	20	following separate pilot projects:
21	21	(1) a five-year pilot project in which recipients of
22	22	benefits under the supplemental nutrition assistance program are
23	23	provided targeted nutrition education or nutrition guidelines to
24	24	encourage the recipients to purchase healthy foods; and
25	25	(2) a five-year pilot project in which recipients of
26	26	benefits under the supplemental nutrition assistance program
27	27	receive additional benefits at the point of sale if the recipients
28	28	purchase certain healthy foods.
29	29	(b) A pilot project developed under this section may be
30	30	implemented only in a municipality or county the governing body of
31	31	which authorizes participation in the pilot project.
32	32	(c) Not later than the 30th day after the two-year
33	33	anniversary and the four-year anniversary of the date of the
34	34	commencement of each pilot project implemented under this section,
35	35	the department shall submit a report containing an update on the
36	36	pilot project to the legislature.
37	37	(d) Not later than the 90th day after the date a pilot
38	38	project implemented under this section is completed, the department
39	39	shall submit a report containing an evaluation of the pilot project
40	40	to the legislature, including recommendations regarding the
41	41	continuation or expansion of the project.
42	42	(e) The department shall make available to the United States
43	43	Department of Agriculture or other applicable federal agency any
44	44	report prepared under Subsection (c) or (d) and any data collected
45	45	by the department in relation to the report.
46	46	(f) The department may collaborate with a public or private
47	47	institution of higher education in preparing the reports required
48	48	under Subsections (c) and (d).
49	49	Sec. 33.033. ADVERTISING BY SNAP RETAILERS. (a) In this
50	50	section, "retailer" means a business approved for participation in
51	51	the supplemental nutrition assistance program.
52	52	(b) The department shall:
53	53	(1) encourage a retailer to promote the purchase of
54	54	healthy foods in any advertising displayed by the retailer relating
55	55	to the retailer's participation in the supplemental nutrition
56	56	assistance program; and
57	57	(2) discourage a retailer from displaying advertising
58	58	relating to the retailer's participation in the supplemental
59	59	nutrition assistance program near food of minimal nutritional
60	60	value.
61	61	(c) In this section, "food of minimal nutritional value" has
62	62	the meaning assigned by 7 C.F.R. Section 210.11(a)(2).
63	63	Sec. 33.034. REPORT ON EFFORTS TO ENCOURAGE HEALTHY FOOD
64	64	PURCHASES. (a) Not later than December 1 of each even-numbered
65	65	year, the department shall submit to the legislature a report
66	66	summarizing the department's efforts to:
67	67	(1) discourage recipients of supplemental nutrition
68	68	assistance benefits from purchasing food of minimal nutritional
69	69	value, as defined by Section 33.033; and
70	70	(2) encourage recipients of supplemental nutrition
71	71	assistance benefits to purchase healthy foods.
72	72	(b) If appropriate, the department may include a report
73	73	required under Subsection (a) in another report that the department
74	74	is required to submit to the legislature.
75	75	SECTION 2. If before implementing any provision of this Act
76	76	a state agency determines that a waiver or authorization from a
77	77	federal agency is necessary for implementation of that provision,
78	78	the agency affected by the provision shall request the waiver or
79	79	authorization and may delay implementing that provision until the
80	80	waiver or authorization is granted.
81	81	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
82	82	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
83	83	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
84	84	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
85	85	Act takes effect September 1, 2013.