HBA-CCH C.S.H.B. 2251 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 2251
By: Naishtat
Human Services
3/28/2001
Committee Report (Substituted)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Currently, many low-income families are ineligible for food stamps because
of the value of their motor vehicle.  If a person owns a motor vehicle
valued at more than $5,000, the value over that amount is counted against
the allowable resource limit under the Food Stamp Program.  Recent
welfare-to-work requirements make it especially important for low-income
families to have reliable transportation. However, many individuals who
make the transition from welfare to work earn low wages and still need
assistance to buy food for their families.  C.S.H.B. 2251 increases the
vehicle resource limit when determining eligibility for TANF and directs
the Texas Department of Human Services to use the TANF standards when
determining whether a person is eligible for food stamps.  

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

C.S.H.B. 2251 amends the Human Resources Code to require the Texas
Department of Human Services (DHS), in determining whether an applicant is
eligible for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), to exclude
from the applicant's available resources the fair market value of the
applicant's ownership in one motor vehicle, but not more than $13,000, and
the fair market value of the applicant's ownership interest in any other
motor vehicle, but not more than $5,000.  The bill requires DHS to
incorporate an amount determined annually to reflect changes in the used
car component of the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers. 

The bill requires DHS to apply the TANF motor vehicle allowance standards
instead of the federal food stamp motor vehicle allowance standards for
purposes of determining a person's eligibility for food stamps. 

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2001.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 2251 modifies the original to require the Texas Department of
Human Services (DHS) to exclude from the applicant's available resources
the fair market value, rather than the entire fair market value, of the
applicant's ownership in one motor vehicle, but not more than $13,000 plus
or minus an amount to be determined annually to reflect changes in the used
car component of the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPIAUC).
In setting the limit of an applicant's ownership in another vehicle at
$5,000, the substitute specifies that DHS is required to incorporate
changes in the used car, rather than the new car, component of the CPIAUC.