HBA-CMT S.B. 48 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisS.B. 48
By: Zaffirini
Human Services
3/21/2001
Engrossed



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

When the federal government passed the Personal Responsibility and Work
Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) in August 1996, Texas was allowed
to take advantage of a waiver option to continue policies adopted under
state welfare reform previously enacted by the 74th Legislature.  Because
the waiver expires in March 2002, technical changes to the state's
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program (TANF) are necessary to
comply with federal law.  Senate Bill 48 increases the portion of the TANF
grant that is sanctioned if a recipient fails to cooperate with the state
in its efforts to collect childsupport for the recipient's dependents.  

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 48 amends the Human Resources Code to provide that the Texas
Department of Human Services rules for the imposition of sanctions or
penalties on a recipient of public assistance on behalf of a child who the
attorney general's office has determined did not comply with its efforts to
identify the child's parents must provide for the deduction of no less than
25 percent of the amount of assistance that would otherwise be provided to
the person's family if the family consists of at least six persons if the
family is a two-parent family, or at least seven persons if the family is a
single-parent family.   

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2001.