The recommended verbiage of this amendment.

This is the recommended amendment verbiage that I will send to the Texas legislature this week. The following shows the bill as I would like it amended. NOTE, the text "for a period determined by the district," has been removed from bowlegs (1), and bowlegs (5), the gist of this amendment, has been added. I'm neither a lawyer nor a lawmaker so I welcome any constructive feedback regarding this language. ***************************************************************************** H.B. No. 3562 An act relating to the adoption of a policy allowing a grace period after the exhaustion of the balance of a meal card or account used by students to purchase meals in public schools. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Subchapter Z, Chapter 33, Education Code, is amended by adding Section 33.908 to read as follows: Sec. 33.908. GRACE PERIOD POLICY FOR EXHAUSTED OR INSUFFICIENT MEAL CARD OR ACCOUNT BALANCE. A school district that allows students to use a prepaid meal card or account to purchase meals served at the school shall adopt a grace period policy regarding the use of the cards or accounts. The policy: (1) must allow a student whose meal card or account balance is exhausted or insufficient to continue to purchase meals by: (A) accumulating a negative balance on the student's card or account; or (B) otherwise receiving an extension of credit from the district; (2) must require the district to notify the parent of or person standing in parental relation to the student that the student's meal card or account balance is exhausted; (3) may not permit the district to charge a fee or interest in connection with meals purchased under Subdivision (1); and (4) may permit the district to set a schedule for repayment on the account balance as part of the notice to the parent or person standing in parental relation to the student; and (5) permits districts to pursue reasonable legal measures against the parents or persons standing in parental relation to the student, in order to balance school nutrition accounts. Under no circumstance should a child be denied a meal or suffer negative consequences as the result of a negative or insufficient school meal account balance. SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2015-2016 school year. SECTION 3. 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, 2015. ***************************************************************************** H.B. 3562 as it is currently in force can be viewed at the following link: http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/84R/billtext/pdf/HB03562F.pdf#navpanes=0