HBA-MPM S.B. 297 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisS.B. 297 By: West, Royce Human Services 4/23/2001 Engrossed BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE According to the United States Census Bureau survey conducted in March 1996, approximately four million children lived in the home of a grandparent, almost double the number who resided in the home of a grandparent in 1980. Experts have offered several reasons for grandparents raising their grandchildren, such as increasing drug abuse among parents, teen pregnancy, divorce, a rapid rise in single parent households, child abuse and neglect, and mental and physical illness or incarceration of the parents. The 76th Legislature authorized the Texas Department of Human Services to provide supplemental financial assistance to grandparents in addition to the amount of financial assistance granted for the support of a dependent child. However, there are many more elderly grandparents with fixed incomes who are struggling to support their grandchildren without adequate resources. Senate Bill 297 redefines the criteria under which a grandparent may receive supplemental financial assistance through the state by lowering the age of eligibility and increasing the income eligibility level. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS Senate Bill 297 amends the Human Resources Code to decrease the minimum qualifying age from 50 years of age to 45 years of age for a grandparent to receive supplemental financial assistance. The bill also increases the maximum allowable income level from 100 percent to 200 percent of the federal poverty level. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.