| 1 | 1 | | By: Zaffirini, Lucio S.B. No. 1866 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 5 | 5 | | AN ACT |
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| 6 | 6 | | relating to an award program to recognize school nutrition program |
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| 7 | 7 | | excellence. |
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| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 12, Agriculture Code, is amended by |
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| 10 | 10 | | adding Section 12.00251 to read as follows: |
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| 11 | 11 | | Sec. 12.00251. HUNGER FREE SCHOOLS AWARD PROGRAM. |
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| 12 | 12 | | (a) Subject to the availability of funds, the department by |
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| 13 | 13 | | rule shall establish an award program under which schools may |
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| 14 | 14 | | receive recognition from the department for excellence in providing |
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| 15 | 15 | | federally funded meals to students during the school year and |
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| 16 | 16 | | during the summer. The department shall create a logo for the award |
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| 17 | 17 | | program and publish an application form for the award program on the |
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| 18 | 18 | | department's Internet website. |
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| 19 | 19 | | (b) The department by rule shall establish eligibility |
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| 20 | 20 | | criteria for schools to quality for consideration of an award under |
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| 21 | 21 | | this section. The criteria must include consideration of: |
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| 22 | 22 | | (1) whether the school participates in: |
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| 23 | 23 | | (A) the national school breakfast program |
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| 24 | 24 | | provided by the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. Section |
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| 25 | 25 | | 1773); |
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| 26 | 26 | | (B) the national school lunch program of free or |
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| 27 | 27 | | reduced-price lunches; |
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| 28 | 28 | | (C) the Child and Adult Care Food Program; and |
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| 29 | 29 | | (D) the summer food service program under 42 |
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| 30 | 30 | | U.S.C. Section 1761; |
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| 31 | 31 | | (2) for each federal meal program offered by the |
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| 32 | 32 | | school, the average daily participation rates of students in the |
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| 33 | 33 | | school who are educationally disadvantaged, as defined by Section |
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| 34 | 34 | | 5.001, Education Code; |
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| 35 | 35 | | (3) whether the school uses alternative or innovative |
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| 36 | 36 | | school food service models for school meal programs; |
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| 37 | 37 | | (4) whether the school makes a school meal program |
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| 38 | 38 | | available to all students at no charge through use of the federal |
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| 39 | 39 | | Community Eligibility Provision, Provision 2 option under 7 C.F.R. |
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| 40 | 40 | | Section 245, or another mechanism; and |
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| 41 | 41 | | (5) any other criteria the department determines is |
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| 42 | 42 | | appropriate. |
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| 43 | 43 | | (c) Between November 1 and December 31 of each year, the |
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| 44 | 44 | | department shall issue 25 awards under this section. Each award |
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| 45 | 45 | | shall be based on the school's performance on the eligibility |
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| 46 | 46 | | criteria established under Subsection (b) during the preceding |
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| 47 | 47 | | year. |
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| 48 | 48 | | (d) The commissioner shall appoint a selection committee |
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| 49 | 49 | | composed of no fewer than five representatives of relevant |
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| 50 | 50 | | stakeholder groups to review all eligible applicants and select |
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| 51 | 51 | | schools to receive awards of no more than $2,000 under this section. |
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| 52 | 52 | | (e) Any awards made by the department for the award program |
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| 53 | 53 | | established under this section shall be deposited into the food |
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| 54 | 54 | | service accounts of the schools selected to receive an award under |
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| 55 | 55 | | this section. A school may use money received under this section |
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| 56 | 56 | | only to invest in the school's nutrition programs, purchase new |
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| 57 | 57 | | food-service equipment, or reward the school's nutrition staff. |
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| 58 | 58 | | (f) A school that has an excessive unassigned general fund |
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| 59 | 59 | | balance or that is not in compliance with state or federal |
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| 60 | 60 | | regulations is not eligible to receive an award under this section. |
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| 61 | 61 | | (g) The department may solicit and accept gifts, grants, and |
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| 62 | 62 | | donations from any public or private source to implement this |
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| 63 | 63 | | subchapter. |
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| 64 | 64 | | (h) The department may adopt rules as necessary to |
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| 65 | 65 | | administer this section. |
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| 66 | 66 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2016. |
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