Text of section effective on April 01, 2025

Sec. 550.0202. PILOT PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION. (a) The commission shall develop and implement a pilot program to assist not more than 500 eligible families in gaining permanent self-sufficiency and by eliminating the need for financial assistance, supplemental nutrition assistance, or other means-tested public benefits, notwithstanding the limitations and requirements of Section 31.043, Human Resources Code.

(b) If the commission determines the number of families participating in the pilot program during a year reaches capacity for that year, the number of families that may be served under the program in the following year may be increased by 20 percent.

(c) The commission shall develop and implement the pilot program with the assistance of:

(1) faith-based and other relevant public or private organizations;

(2) local workforce development boards;

(3) the Texas Workforce Commission; and

(4) any other person the commission determines appropriate.

(d) The pilot program must operate for at least 24 months. The program must also include 16 additional months for:

(1) planning and designing the program before the program begins operation;

(2) recruiting eligible families to participate in the program;

(3) randomly placing each participating family in one of at least three research groups, including:

(A) a control group;

(B) a group consisting of families for whom the application of income, asset, and time limits described by Section 550.0204 is waived; and

(C) a group consisting of families for whom the application of income, asset, and time limits described by Section 550.0204 is waived and who receive wraparound case management services under the program; and

(4) after the program begins operation, collecting and sharing data that allows for:

(A) obtaining participating families' eligibility and identification data before a family is randomly placed in a research group under Subdivision (3);

(B) conducting surveys or interviews of participating families to obtain information that is not contained in records related to a family's eligibility for financial assistance, supplemental nutrition assistance, or other means-tested public benefits;

(C) providing quarterly reports for not more than 60 months after a participating family's enrollment in the program regarding the program's effect on the family's labor market participation, income, and need for means-tested public benefits;

(D) assessing the interaction of the program's components with the desired outcomes of the program using data collected during the program and data obtained from state agencies concerning means-tested public benefits; and

(E) enlisting a third party to conduct a rigorous experimental impact evaluation of the program.

(e) The pilot program must provide through a community-based provider to each participating family placed in the research group described by Subsection (d)(3)(C) holistic, wraparound case management services that meet all applicable program requirements under 7 C.F.R. Section 273.7(e) or 45 C.F.R. Section 261.10, as applicable. Case management services provided under this subsection must include the strategic use of financial assistance and supplemental nutrition assistance benefits to ensure that the goals included in the family's service plan are achieved.

Added by Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 769 (H.B. 4611), Sec. 1.01, eff. April 1, 2025.