In this subchapter:
(1) “Financial assistance benefits” means money payments under:
(A) the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program operated under Chapter 31, Human Resources Code; or
(B) the state temporary assistance and support services program operated under Chapter 34, Human Resources Code.
(2) “Pilot program” means the pilot program for self-sufficiency of certain individuals receiving financial assistance or supplemental nutrition assistance benefits developed and implemented under this subchapter.
(3) “Self-sufficiency” means:
(A) being employed in a position that pays a sufficient wage;
(B) having financial savings in an amount equal to at least $1,000 per member of a family’s household; and
(C) maintaining a debt-to-income ratio that does not exceed 43 percent.
(4) “Slow reduction scale” means a graduated plan for reducing financial assistance or supplemental nutrition assistance benefits that correlates with a phase of the pilot program’s progressive stages toward self-sufficiency.
(5) “Sufficient wage” means an amount of money sufficient to meet a family’s minimum necessary spending on basic needs, including food, child care, health insurance, housing, and transportation, as determined by a market-based calculation that uses geographically specific expenditure data.
(6) “Supplemental nutrition assistance benefits” means money payments under the supplemental nutrition assistance program operated under Chapter 33, Human Resources Code.

Text of section effective on April 01, 2025