Bill Text: TX HB1793 | 2025-2026 | 89th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to eligibility requirements to receive a grant from the Texas Enterprise Fund.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-08 - Filed [HB1793 Detail]
Download: Texas-2025-HB1793-Introduced.html
89R1370 MLH-D | ||
By: Tepper | H.B. No. 1793 |
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relating to eligibility requirements to receive a grant from the | ||
Texas Enterprise Fund. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Section 481.078(f-1), Government Code, is | ||
amended to read as follows: | ||
(f-1) A grant agreement must contain a provision: | ||
(1) requiring the creation of a minimum number of jobs | ||
in this state in accordance with Section 481.0785; [ |
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(2) specifying the date by which the recipient intends | ||
to create those jobs; and | ||
(3) requiring the recipient to make a minimum | ||
investment in the purposes for which the grant is intended in | ||
accordance with Section 481.0785. | ||
SECTION 2. Subchapter E, Chapter 481, Government Code, is | ||
amended by adding Section 481.0785 to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 481.0785. REQUIRED JOBS AND INVESTMENT. (a) In | ||
addition to the eligibility requirements under Section 481.078, to | ||
be eligible to enter into a grant agreement under that section, an | ||
entity must agree to: | ||
(1) if the grant awarded is to be used in a county with | ||
a population of at least 750,000: | ||
(A) create at least 75 jobs by the end of the | ||
first year after the creation of the grant agreement and | ||
demonstrate an average of at least that number of jobs during each | ||
following year until the date the grant agreement expires; and | ||
(B) make an investment in the purpose for which | ||
the grant is awarded in an amount of at least $200 million by the end | ||
of the first year after the creation of the grant agreement; | ||
(2) if the grant awarded is to be used in a county with | ||
a population of at least 250,000 but less than 750,000: | ||
(A) create at least 50 jobs by the end of the | ||
first year after the creation of the grant agreement and | ||
demonstrate an average of at least that number of jobs during each | ||
following year until the date the grant agreement expires; and | ||
(B) make an investment in the purpose for which | ||
the grant is awarded in an amount of at least $100 million by the end | ||
of the first year after the creation of the grant agreement; | ||
(3) if the grant awarded is to be used in a county with | ||
a population of at least 100,000 but less than 250,000: | ||
(A) create at least 35 jobs by the end of the | ||
first year after the creation of the grant agreement and | ||
demonstrate an average of at least that number of jobs during each | ||
following year until the date the grant agreement expires; and | ||
(B) make an investment in the purpose for which | ||
the grant is awarded in an amount of at least $50 million by the end | ||
of the first year after the creation of the grant agreement; or | ||
(4) if the grant awarded is to be used in a county with | ||
a population of less than 100,000: | ||
(A) create at least 10 jobs by the end of the | ||
first year after the creation of the grant agreement and | ||
demonstrate an average of at least that number of jobs during each | ||
following year until the date the grant agreement expires; and | ||
(B) make an investment in the purpose for which | ||
the grant is awarded in an amount of at least $20 million by the end | ||
of the first year after the creation of the grant agreement. | ||
(b) For purposes of Subsection (a), each job created in | ||
connection with a grant agreement: | ||
(1) must be a new permanent full-time job in this | ||
state, other than a construction job, that requires a total of at | ||
least 1,600 hours of work a year in connection with the purpose for | ||
which the grant is awarded; | ||
(2) must be: | ||
(A) maintained in the usual course and scope of | ||
the grant recipient's business, which may be performed by an | ||
individual who is a trainee under the Texans Work program | ||
established under Chapter 308, Labor Code; or | ||
(B) performed by: | ||
(i) an independent contractor, as that term | ||
is defined by Section 406.121, Labor Code; and | ||
(ii) the independent contractor's employees | ||
at the site of the project; and | ||
(3) may not be transferred by the grant recipient from | ||
an existing facility or location in this state or otherwise created | ||
to replace an existing job, unless the grant recipient fills the | ||
vacancy caused by the transfer. | ||
(c) For purposes of Subsection (a), a grant recipient may | ||
demonstrate that the recipient has met the applicable minimum | ||
investment requirement by any reasonable means that demonstrate | ||
that investment made in the purposes for which the grant is awarded | ||
is equal to or greater than the minimum investment requirement | ||
applicable to that purpose. | ||
(d) If grant money awarded is used in more than one county, | ||
the jobs and investment requirements applicable to the grant | ||
recipient under this section are determined using the jobs and | ||
investment requirements applicable to the county with the smallest | ||
population in which any part of the purposes for which the grant is | ||
awarded is located. | ||
(e) The governor may adopt rules necessary to interpret and | ||
administer this section, including rules regarding: | ||
(1) the manner for determining: | ||
(A) which jobs and investment requirements | ||
prescribed by Subsection (a) apply to the purposes for which a grant | ||
is awarded; and | ||
(B) the circumstances under which a trainee under | ||
the Texans Work program established under Chapter 308, Labor Code, | ||
may be considered a full-time employee for purposes of this | ||
section; and | ||
(2) the method by which a grant recipient must | ||
demonstrate an average of at least the number of required jobs for | ||
purposes of satisfying the jobs requirement prescribed by | ||
Subsection (a). | ||
SECTION 3. The change in law made by this Act applies only | ||
to a grant agreement entered into on or after the effective date of | ||
this Act. A grant agreement entered into before the effective date | ||
of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the grant | ||
agreement was entered into, and the former law is continued in | ||
effect for that purpose. | ||
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |