BILL ANALYSIS H.B. 1203 By: Gonzlez, Jessica Agriculture & Livestock Committee Report (Unamended) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE According to Feeding Texas, one in six households in Texas is food insecure and, according to the review article Food Insecurity in Children with Heart Disease, available from the National Library of Medicine, food insecurity is consistently associated with poor health outcomes in children, such as childhood obesity, which puts affected children at increased risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality over time. H.B. 1203 seeks to help address this issue by providing for the establishment of the office of food system security and resiliency within the Department of Agriculture. 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. 1203 amends the Agriculture Code to require the Department of Agriculture (TDA), not later than December 31, 2025, to establish the office of food system security and resiliency as a division within TDA. The bill makes the office responsible for food system security and resiliency in Texas, including the following: coordinating state resources and programs so food access industry professionals can efficiently use resources to meet Texas' needs; ensuring a food system in Texas that is free of disruption; promoting the growth, manufacture, and processing of agricultural products in Texas for farm-to-store and farm-to-table consumption; developing regional food system security and resiliency planning by working with other state agencies, counties, municipalities, school districts, and local governments; and promoting policies to establish more localized food markets or food access points through measures such as the following: o connecting retailers, distributors, municipalities, counties, school districts, and other local governments to local producers; and o collaborating with local stakeholders to expand food access across Texas. H.B. 1203 requires the office, not later than December 1 of each even-numbered year, to make recommendations to the legislature for legislation that may improve food system security and resiliency in Texas. The bill requires the office to manage the Texas food system security and resiliency planning council, which is currently managed by TDA's food and nutrition division, requires the division to continue to manage the council until TDA establishes the office, and makes related food system security provisions applicable to the office instead of the division. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2025.
BILL ANALYSIS
# BILL ANALYSIS
H.B. 1203
By: Gonzlez, Jessica
Agriculture & Livestock
Committee Report (Unamended)
H.B. 1203
By: Gonzlez, Jessica
Agriculture & Livestock
Committee Report (Unamended)
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE According to Feeding Texas, one in six households in Texas is food insecure and, according to the review article Food Insecurity in Children with Heart Disease, available from the National Library of Medicine, food insecurity is consistently associated with poor health outcomes in children, such as childhood obesity, which puts affected children at increased risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality over time. H.B. 1203 seeks to help address this issue by providing for the establishment of the office of food system security and resiliency within the Department of Agriculture.
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. 1203 amends the Agriculture Code to require the Department of Agriculture (TDA), not later than December 31, 2025, to establish the office of food system security and resiliency as a division within TDA. The bill makes the office responsible for food system security and resiliency in Texas, including the following: coordinating state resources and programs so food access industry professionals can efficiently use resources to meet Texas' needs; ensuring a food system in Texas that is free of disruption; promoting the growth, manufacture, and processing of agricultural products in Texas for farm-to-store and farm-to-table consumption; developing regional food system security and resiliency planning by working with other state agencies, counties, municipalities, school districts, and local governments; and promoting policies to establish more localized food markets or food access points through measures such as the following: o connecting retailers, distributors, municipalities, counties, school districts, and other local governments to local producers; and o collaborating with local stakeholders to expand food access across Texas. H.B. 1203 requires the office, not later than December 1 of each even-numbered year, to make recommendations to the legislature for legislation that may improve food system security and resiliency in Texas. The bill requires the office to manage the Texas food system security and resiliency planning council, which is currently managed by TDA's food and nutrition division, requires the division to continue to manage the council until TDA establishes the office, and makes related food system security provisions applicable to the office instead of the division.
EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2025.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
According to Feeding Texas, one in six households in Texas is food insecure and, according to the review article Food Insecurity in Children with Heart Disease, available from the National Library of Medicine, food insecurity is consistently associated with poor health outcomes in children, such as childhood obesity, which puts affected children at increased risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality over time. H.B. 1203 seeks to help address this issue by providing for the establishment of the office of food system security and resiliency within the Department of Agriculture.
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. 1203 amends the Agriculture Code to require the Department of Agriculture (TDA), not later than December 31, 2025, to establish the office of food system security and resiliency as a division within TDA. The bill makes the office responsible for food system security and resiliency in Texas, including the following:
coordinating state resources and programs so food access industry professionals can efficiently use resources to meet Texas' needs;
ensuring a food system in Texas that is free of disruption;
promoting the growth, manufacture, and processing of agricultural products in Texas for farm-to-store and farm-to-table consumption;
developing regional food system security and resiliency planning by working with other state agencies, counties, municipalities, school districts, and local governments; and
promoting policies to establish more localized food markets or food access points through measures such as the following:
o connecting retailers, distributors, municipalities, counties, school districts, and other local governments to local producers; and
o collaborating with local stakeholders to expand food access across Texas.
H.B. 1203 requires the office, not later than December 1 of each even-numbered year, to make recommendations to the legislature for legislation that may improve food system security and resiliency in Texas. The bill requires the office to manage the Texas food system security and resiliency planning council, which is currently managed by TDA's food and nutrition division, requires the division to continue to manage the council until TDA establishes the office, and makes related food system security provisions applicable to the office instead of the division.
EFFECTIVE DATE
September 1, 2025.