Bill Text: TX HB1743 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Relating to a memorandum of understanding between the Health and Human Services Commission and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to assess the eligibility of certain inmates for supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits on discharge or release from confinement.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 16-3)
Status: (Passed) 2023-06-12 - Effective immediately [HB1743 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-HB1743-Enrolled.html
| H.B. No. 1743 | ||
|
|
||
| relating to a memorandum of understanding between the Health and | ||
| Human Services Commission and the Texas Department of Criminal | ||
| Justice to assess the eligibility of certain inmates for | ||
| supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits on discharge or | ||
| release from confinement. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 33, Human Resources Code, | ||
| is amended by adding Section 33.0181 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 33.0181. MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING REGARDING | ||
| ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATIONS FOR CERTAIN INMATES. (a) In this | ||
| section, "inmate" means an individual confined in a facility | ||
| operated by or under contract with the Texas Department of Criminal | ||
| Justice. | ||
| (b) The commission and the Texas Department of Criminal | ||
| Justice shall enter into a memorandum of understanding for the | ||
| purpose of ensuring that an inmate who is likely to be eligible for | ||
| supplemental nutrition assistance benefits on discharge or release | ||
| on parole, mandatory supervision, or conditional pardon is assessed | ||
| by the commission for eligibility for those benefits before the | ||
| inmate's discharge or release. | ||
| (c) The memorandum of understanding required by this | ||
| section must: | ||
| (1) establish a procedure through which the commission | ||
| shall accept and process supplemental nutrition assistance program | ||
| applications from inmates; and | ||
| (2) define the roles and responsibilities of each | ||
| agency under the memorandum. | ||
| (d) The memorandum of understanding required by Subsection | ||
| (b) must be tailored to achieve the goal of ensuring that an inmate | ||
| described by Subsection (b) who is determined eligible by the | ||
| commission for supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits | ||
| may begin receiving services under the program at the time of the | ||
| inmate's discharge or release on parole, mandatory supervision, or | ||
| conditional pardon. | ||
| (e) The executive commissioner shall adopt rules necessary | ||
| to implement this section. | ||
| SECTION 2. As soon as practicable after the effective date | ||
| of this Act, the Health and Human Services Commission and Texas | ||
| Department of Criminal Justice shall enter into the memorandum of | ||
| understanding required by Section 33.0181, Human Resources Code, as | ||
| added by this Act. | ||
| SECTION 3. If before implementing any provision of this Act | ||
| a state agency determines that a waiver or authorization from a | ||
| federal agency is necessary for implementation of that provision, | ||
| the agency affected by the provision shall request the waiver or | ||
| authorization and may delay implementing that provision until the | ||
| waiver or authorization is granted. | ||
| SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
| a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
| provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
| Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
| Act takes effect September 1, 2023. | ||
| ______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
| President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
| I certify that H.B. No. 1743 was passed by the House on April | ||
| 21, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 127, Nays 13, 2 present, not | ||
| voting. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
| I certify that H.B. No. 1743 was passed by the Senate on May | ||
| 22, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 27, Nays 4. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Secretary of the Senate | ||
| APPROVED: _____________________ | ||
| Date | ||
| _____________________ | ||
| Governor | ||
