APPLICATION; ELIGIBILITY FOR GRANT

The commission shall establish eligibility criteria for a person to receive a grant under this subchapter. The eligibility criteria must include the requirement that the person: (1) apply to the commission in the form and manner prescribed by commission rule; (2) if the person is an entity, be in good standing under the laws of the state in which the person was formed or organized, as evidenced by a certificate issued by the secretary of state or the state official of another state having custody of the records pertaining to a person formed or organized under the laws of that state; (3) not owe delinquent taxes to a taxing unit of this state; and (4) operate an industry-recognized apprenticeship program that: (A) provides on-the-job training under an industry-recognized, accredited training curriculum; (B) guarantees employment for participants during and on successful completion of the training period; (C) pays each participant a wage and provides eligibility for participants to receive full-time employee benefits during and on successful completion of the training period; (D) requires participants to advance their skills, at a minimum, to a credentialed, performance-verified mid-level status in a field related to the industry-recognized apprenticeship program; (E) has a duration of not more than 26 weeks; and (F) gives preference to training and hiring: (i) unemployed Texans who have filed with the commission; (ii) veterans of the United States armed forces; (iii) formerly incarcerated individuals; and (iv) underemployed individuals who are working without industry-recognized certifications or other credentials.