The following words and terms, when used in this chapter, shall
have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates
otherwise.
(1) Business Partner--An individual, sole proprietorship,
partnership, corporation, or association.
(2) Community-based organization (CBO)--A private nonprofit
organization that is representative of a community or a significant
segment of a community and that provides education, vocational education
or rehabilitation, job training, or internship services or programs.
The term includes a neighborhood group or corporation, union-related
organization, employer-related organization, faith-based organization,
tribal government, or organization serving Native Americans. The CBO
must be certified as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization under the
IRS Code of 1986, as amended. A CBO providing services, which are
regulated by the state, must provide evidence of required certification,
license, or registration.
(3) Executive director--The executive director of the
Texas Workforce Commission.
(4) Grant recipient--A public community or technical
college, CBO, or state extension service awarded a grant from the
Self-Sufficiency Fund.
(5) Individual at risk of becoming dependent on public
assistance--An individual who is a member of a Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits household with dependent children,
a youth up to the age of 24 who is a part of a low-income family,
or a parent, including a noncustodial parent, whose income does not
exceed the income limit established by the Commission. To establish
the income limit, the Commission will consider the Temporary Assistance
for Needy Families (TANF) and SNAP income limits, and other relevant
data, including economic indicators such as the state unemployment
rate and inflation. The Commission may periodically review the income
limit established and may update the level as necessary to reflect
changes in the economic conditions in the state and the factors used
to establish the income limit.
(6) Low-income--An individual whose family:
(A) receives any one of the following benefits:
(i) TANF;
(ii) SNAP;
(iii) Children's Health Insurance Program; or
(iv) income-based subsidized child care through the
Child Care and Development Fund;
(B) is eligible for or receives subsidized public housing
assistance;
(C) participates in:
(i) the United States Department of Agriculture Food
and Nutrition Service's Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for
Women, Infants and Children program; or
(ii) free or reduced-cost school lunch based on income;
(D) is eligible for, or enrolled in, Workforce Innovation
and Opportunity Act youth services; or
(E) income does not exceed the income limit established
by the Commission. To establish the income limit, the Commission will
consider the TANF and SNAP income limits, and other relevant data,
including economic indicators such as the state unemployment rate
and inflation. The Commission may periodically review the income limit
established and may update the level as necessary to reflect changes
in the economic conditions in the state and the factors used to establish
the income limit.
(7) Participant--An individual who meets the eligibility
criteria to engage in the Self-Sufficiency Fund's training program
by being either low-income, at risk of becoming dependent on public
assistance, or a youth up to the age of 24 who is a part of a low-income
family.
(8) Public community college--A state-funded two-year
educational institution primarily serving its local taxing district
and service area in Texas and offering vocational, technical, and
academic courses for certification or associate degrees.
(9) Public technical college--A state-funded coeducational
institution of higher education offering courses of study in vocational
and technical education, for certification or associate degrees.
(10) Self-Sufficiency--Employment with wages reasonably
calculated to make the employee independent of financial assistance
under Texas Human Resources Code, Chapter 31.
(11) State extension service--An education service
that provides technical and vocational training and is sponsored by
a higher education agency regulated by the Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board.
(12) TANF recipient--An individual who receives financial
assistance under Texas Human Resources Code, Chapter 31.
(13) Trade union--An organization, agency, or employee
committee, in which employees participate and which exists for the
purpose of dealing with employers concerning grievances, labor disputes,
wages, pay rates, employment hours, or work conditions.
(14) Training provider--Any public community or technical
college, CBO, or state extension service that provides training; or
any individual, sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, association,
consortium, governmental subdivision, or public or private organization
with whom a public community or technical college, CBO, or state extension
service has subcontracted to provide training.
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