Bill

HB 367

85(R) - 2017
House Public Education
Senate Agriculture, Water, & Rural Affairs
House Public Education
Senate Agriculture, Water, & Rural Affairs

Vote Recommendation

No
  • Neutral
  • Neutral
  • Neutral
  • Negative
  • Neutral

Author(s)

Diego Bernal

Co-Author(s)

Rafael Anchia
Diana Arevalo
Kyle Biedermann
Cesar Blanco
Dennis Bonnen
Briscoe Cain
Terry Canales
Garnet F. Coleman
Scott Cosper
Jessica Farrar
Ryan Guillen
Gina Hinojosa
Jarvis Johnson
Matt Krause
Eddie Lucio III
Armando Martinez
Morgan Meyer
Rick Miller
Ina Minjarez
Victoria Neave
Evelina Ortega
Tan Parker
Mary Ann Perez
Richard Raymond
Ron Reynolds
Eddie Rodriguez
Justin Rodriguez
Leighton Schubert
Drew Springer
Lynn Stucky
Shawn Thierry
Ed Thompson
Senfronia Thompson
Chris Turner
Tomas Uresti
Gary VanDeaver
Jason Villalba

Sponsor(s)

Borris Miles

Bill Caption

Relating to feeding hungry children through efficient use of excess food in public schools.

Fiscal Notes

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated. 

Bill Analysis

If enacted, this bill would allow schools to efficiently donate excess food to non-profit organizations, for redistribution on campus.

This also requires that school districts establish a grace period determined by the board of trustees of the district for a student whose meal account becomes exhausted,and to make at least one attempt each week of the grace period to obtain overdue payment from parents or guardians of the student. After expiration of the grace period, if the school district was unable to secure repayment, the district would be allowed to permit the student to continue purchasing meals or may provide alternate meals. 

The bill further stipulates that if a school or district continues to provide regular meals for a student and is unable to  "obtain payment for the meals from the student’s parent or person standing in parental relation to the student, the district may pay the negative balance on the student’s meal card or account using private donations solicited by the district from individuals and entities for that purpose and maintained in a separate district account."

Vote Recommendation Notes

We do not object to allowing excess foods to be donated and redistributed on campus for the benefit of students who are unable to pay for school lunches. In fact, we were neutral on this bill as it appeared before the House on second reading. 

However, we do not support provisions added in the Senate committee substitute allowing the the continued running of a negative balance after the grace period ends. This teaches students the wrong lessons about finances and debt and is counterproductive to providing a quality education. For these reasons we now oppose HB 367.