Sec. 31.0355.  USE OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.  (a)  Financial assistance granted to a person under this chapter may be used only to purchase goods and services that are considered essential and necessary for the welfare of the family, including food, clothing, housing, utilities, child care, and incidentals such as transportation and medicine or medical supplies or equipment not covered by Medicaid.  The executive commissioner by rule shall define what constitutes essential and necessary goods and services for purposes of this subsection.
(b)  If a recipient of financial assistance who receives the assistance by electronic benefits transfer to an account is authorized to make a cash withdrawal from the account through a provider of the goods or services described by Subsection (a), the recipient may make the cash withdrawal only at the customer service department of the provider and not at the provider's point-of-sale terminal.
(c)  The commission shall encourage housing authorities, utility companies, public transportation companies, and other nonfood retailers to accept payment for goods and services described by Subsection (a) through the state's electronic benefits transfer (EBT) system.
(d)  Repealed by Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1, Sec. 4.465(a)(34), eff. April 2, 2015.
(e)  Repealed by Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1, Sec. 4.465(a)(34), eff. April 2, 2015.
(f)  Repealed by Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1, Sec. 4.465(a)(34), eff. April 2, 2015.
Added by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 637, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1997.
Amended by: 
Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1 (S.B. 219), Sec. 4.069, eff. April 2, 2015.
Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1 (S.B. 219), Sec. 4.465(a)(34), eff. April 2, 2015.