Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB2033 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R4276 SCR-D
2	2	By: Meza H.B. No. 2033
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the establishment of the community development grocery
10	10	store grant program and to the use of money from the Texas
11	11	Enterprise Fund for the program.
12	12	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
13	13	SECTION 1. Chapter 481, Government Code, is amended by
14	14	adding Subchapter HH to read as follows:
15	15	SUBCHAPTER HH. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT GROCERY STORE GRANT PROGRAM
16	16	Sec. 481.701. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
17	17	(1) "Food desert" means a census tract, based on the
18	18	most recent information published by the United States Bureau of
19	19	the Census, in which:
20	20	(A) the poverty rate is 20 percent or higher or
21	21	the median family income is at or below 80 percent of the area
22	22	median family income; and
23	23	(B) at least 500 people or at least 33 percent of
24	24	the census area's population reside more than:
25	25	(i) one mile from a grocery store, in the
26	26	case of a census tract other than a rural census tract; or
27	27	(ii) 10 miles from a grocery store, in the
28	28	case of a rural census tract.
29	29	(2) "Grocery store" means a store that has at least:
30	30	(A) 66 percent of the store's retail space
31	31	reserved for the sale of food products;
32	32	(B) 50 percent of the store's food retail space
33	33	reserved for the sale of non-prepared foods or foods intended for
34	34	home preparation and consumption; and
35	35	(C) 30 percent of the store's food retail space
36	36	reserved for the sale of perishable foods, including dairy
37	37	products, fresh produce, fresh meats, poultry, fish, and frozen
38	38	foods.
39	39	(3) "Program" means the community development grocery
40	40	store grant program established under this subchapter.
41	41	Sec. 481.702. ESTABLISHMENT OF GRANT PROGRAM. (a) The
42	42	office shall establish and administer the community development
43	43	grocery store grant program to assist communities by awarding
44	44	grants to business entities proposing to operate a grocery store
45	45	that will be located in a food desert.
46	46	(b) The office may use any available revenue, including
47	47	legislative appropriations, appropriation transfers from the
48	48	trusteed programs within the office of the governor, including
49	49	authorized appropriations from the Texas Enterprise Fund, and any
50	50	other statutorily authorized and appropriate funding sources
51	51	transferred from the trusteed programs within the office of the
52	52	governor, for the purposes of this subchapter.
53	53	Sec. 481.703. ELIGIBILITY FOR GRANT. To be eligible to
54	54	receive a grant under this subchapter, a business entity must:
55	55	(1) demonstrate significant levels of planned capital
56	56	investment at the proposed location, as determined by office rule;
57	57	(2) demonstrate the support of the governing officials
58	58	of the local governmental entities in which the grocery store is
59	59	proposed to be located, particularly in the form of local economic
60	60	development incentive offers; and
61	61	(3) be well established and financially sound.
62	62	Sec. 481.704. APPLICATION. A small business may apply for a
63	63	grant under this subchapter by submitting an application to the
64	64	office in the form and manner prescribed by the office.
65	65	Sec. 481.705. GRANT AGREEMENT. (a) Before awarding a grant
66	66	under this subchapter, the office shall enter into a written
67	67	agreement with the business entity to be awarded the grant
68	68	specifying that if the grocery store closes before the fourth
69	69	anniversary of the date on which the grant is awarded, the
70	70	recipient shall repay the grant and any related interest to the
71	71	state at the agreed rate and on the agreed terms.
72	72	(b) A grant agreement for a grant awarded under this
73	73	subchapter must contain a provision stating that:
74	74	(1) the grocery store will provide health insurance
75	75	benefits to its full-time employees; and
76	76	(2) the total average wages for new jobs at the grocery
77	77	store must meet or exceed the average wage for the same or similar
78	78	type of job in the county in which the grocery store will be
79	79	located.
80	80	Sec. 481.706. GIFTS, GRANTS, AND DONATIONS. The office
81	81	shall solicit and accept gifts and grants for the purposes of this
82	82	subchapter. The office shall use gifts and grants received for the
83	83	purposes of this subchapter before using any other revenue.
84	84	Sec. 481.707. GRANT PROGRAM RULES. The executive director
85	85	of the office shall adopt rules necessary to administer and
86	86	implement this subchapter.
87	87	SECTION 2. Section 481.078, Government Code, is amended by
88	88	adding Subsection (d-2) to read as follows:
89	89	(d-2) The fund may be used for the community development
90	90	grocery store grant program under Subchapter HH. The governor may
91	91	transfer appropriations from the fund to the office for purposes of
92	92	administering the community development grocery store grant
93	93	program. Subsections (e), (f), (f-1), (f-2), (g), (h), (h-1), (i),
94	94	and (j) and Section 481.080 do not apply to a grant awarded for a
95	95	purpose specified by this subsection.
96	96	SECTION 3. Section 481.079, Government Code, is amended by
97	97	adding Subsection (a-2) to read as follows:
98	98	(a-2) For grants awarded for a purpose specified by Section
99	99	481.078(d-2), the report must include only the amount and recipient
100	100	of each grant.
101	101	SECTION 4. As soon as practicable after the effective date
102	102	of this Act, the executive director of the Texas Economic
103	103	Development and Tourism Office shall adopt rules for the
104	104	establishment of the community development grocery store grant
105	105	program under Subchapter HH, Chapter 481, Government Code, as added
106	106	by this Act.
107	107	SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.