Chisum And Watson Unviel Major New Initiative

[Press release from the office of Rep. Warren Chisum (R-Pampa).]

A major new initiative that can have a positive impact on every meals on wheels organization in Texas will be unveiled at a press conference on Wednesday morning.

Jointly holding the press conference will be Rep. Warren Chisum (R-Pampa) and Sen. Kirk Watson (D-Austin).  It will be at 9:00 a.m. this Wednesday, January 24, in the Speaker’s Committee Room at the State Capitol.

The two legislators will announce that they are introducing legislation to create a fund that will partially reimburse home-delivered meal agencies for meals that were not fully paid for by the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services or the Area Agencies on Aging.

It is expected that this initiative will save the state’s taxpayers a considerable amount of money because the alternative to home-delivered meals is often nursing home care and the average cost of a nursing home in Texas is almost $45,000 per year while even fully funded meals cost $1,240 per year.

The Meals on Wheels Association of Texas has said that the legislation, if passed and funded, will help home-delivered meal programs serve more people and reduce or eliminate waiting lists for meals on wheels.

Mr. Chisum has represented 19 rural Texas Panhandle counties since 1989 while Mr. Watson is a freshman Senator from Austin which he served as Mayor from 1997 to 2001.