| 1 | 1 | | 87R9594 BDP-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Talarico H.B. No. 4112 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to funding for the provision of meals to public school |
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| 8 | 8 | | students with insufficient balances on prepaid meal cards or meal |
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| 9 | 9 | | accounts. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Section 33.908, Education Code, is amended to |
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| 12 | 12 | | read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 33.908. FUNDING [GRACE PERIOD POLICY] FOR EXHAUSTED OR |
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| 14 | 14 | | INSUFFICIENT MEAL CARD OR ACCOUNT BALANCE. (a) Each [The board of |
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| 15 | 15 | | trustees of a] school district that allows students to use a prepaid |
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| 16 | 16 | | meal card or account to purchase meals served at a campus [schools] |
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| 17 | 17 | | in the district [shall adopt a grace period policy regarding the use |
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| 18 | 18 | | of the cards or accounts. The policy]: |
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| 19 | 19 | | (1) must allow a student whose meal card or account |
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| 20 | 20 | | balance is exhausted or insufficient to continue, for the entire |
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| 21 | 21 | | school year [a period determined by the board], to purchase meals |
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| 22 | 22 | | by: |
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| 23 | 23 | | (A) accumulating a negative balance on the |
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| 24 | 24 | | student's card or account; or |
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| 25 | 25 | | (B) otherwise receiving an extension of credit |
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| 26 | 26 | | from the district; and |
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| 27 | 27 | | (2) [must require the district to notify the parent of |
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| 28 | 28 | | or person standing in parental relation to the student that the |
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| 29 | 29 | | student's meal card or account balance is exhausted; |
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| 30 | 30 | | [(3)] may not [permit the district to] charge a fee or |
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| 31 | 31 | | interest in connection with meals purchased under Subdivision (1)[; |
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| 32 | 32 | | and |
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| 33 | 33 | | [(4) may permit the district to set a schedule for |
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| 34 | 34 | | repayment on the account balance as part of the notice to the parent |
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| 35 | 35 | | or person standing in parental relation to the student]. |
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| 36 | 36 | | (b) At the end of each school year, from funds available for |
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| 37 | 37 | | the purpose, the agency shall provide a grant to each district in |
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| 38 | 38 | | the amount necessary to pay the negative balance for each student |
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| 39 | 39 | | whose meal card or account balance is exhausted or insufficient, |
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| 40 | 40 | | excluding: |
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| 41 | 41 | | (1) any amount the school district received from |
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| 42 | 42 | | private donations from individuals and entities for the purpose of |
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| 43 | 43 | | paying the negative balance on a student's meal card or account; and |
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| 44 | 44 | | (2) any amount of reimbursement to which the district |
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| 45 | 45 | | is entitled under federal law. |
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| 46 | 46 | | SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2021-2022 |
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| 47 | 47 | | school year. |
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| 48 | 48 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 49 | 49 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 50 | 50 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 51 | 51 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 52 | 52 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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