By Maxey H.B. No. 2125 75R3782 KKA-D A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to individual development accounts for certain recipients 1-3 of financial assistance. 1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-5 SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 31, Human Resources Code, 1-6 is amended by adding Section 31.0127 to read as follows: 1-7 Sec. 31.0127. INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT ACCOUNTS. (a) A 1-8 person in the private sector who employs a recipient of financial 1-9 assistance through a subsidized employment program established 1-10 under Section 31.0126(a)(5) shall: 1-11 (1) establish an individual development account for 1-12 the recipient if the recipient does not have an established 1-13 account; and 1-14 (2) contribute, in addition to the salary paid to the 1-15 recipient, one dollar to the recipient's account for each hour of 1-16 work performed by the recipient while the employment is subsidized, 1-17 subject to the limitation prescribed by Subsection (b). 1-18 (b) A person is not required by this section to contribute 1-19 more than $1,000 to a recipient's individual development account. 1-20 (c) Expenditures from a recipient's individual development 1-21 account while the recipient is receiving financial assistance are 1-22 limited to educational and medical expenses, work-related expenses, 1-23 including a self-employment enterprise, and housing or moving 1-24 expenses for the recipient and a person who is a member of the 2-1 AFDC-certified group. 2-2 (d) The department may not consider money contributed to a 2-3 recipient's individual development account under Subsection (a)(2) 2-4 as income or the balance of the account as a resource in 2-5 determining whether the recipient meets household income and 2-6 resource requirements for eligibility for financial assistance 2-7 under this chapter. 2-8 (e) The department by rule may prescribe the maximum amount 2-9 that may be deposited in a recipient's individual development 2-10 account. 2-11 SECTION 2. Section 7.08(b), Chapter 655, Acts of the 74th 2-12 Legislature, Regular Session, 1995, is amended to read as follows: 2-13 (b) The department by rule may provide for: 2-14 (1) the number of financial assistance recipients who 2-15 may participate in the program, except that each financial 2-16 assistance recipient employed through a subsidized employment 2-17 program established under Section 31.0126(a)(5), Human Resources 2-18 Code, must be allowed to participate; and 2-19 (2) the maximum amount that may be saved by a 2-20 participant. 2-21 SECTION 3. If before implementing any provision of this Act, 2-22 a state agency determines that a waiver or authorization from a 2-23 federal agency is necessary for implementation, the state agency 2-24 shall request the waiver or authorization and may delay 2-25 implementing that provision until the waiver or authorization is 2-26 granted. 2-27 SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 1997. 3-1 SECTION 5. The importance of this legislation and the 3-2 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 3-3 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 3-4 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 3-5 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.