§ 116.001.Definition

One borrowed definition, and it decides who the chapter binds.

"Governmental unit" has the meaning assigned by Section 101.001, the definition section of the Tort Claims Act.

That definition is broad. It reaches the state and its agencies, and it reaches political subdivisions — cities, counties, school districts, and the many special districts Texas creates.

Borrowing rather than drafting keeps the chapters aligned. A body that answers as a governmental unit for a tort claim is the same body governed by this chapter when it settles one.

The choice also tells a reader where to look. Questions about whether a particular entity is covered are answered by the Tort Claims Act cases and text, not by this chapter.

The chapter is short — three sections — and this one carries all of its scope.

Section 116.002 is where the rule lives, and it applies to every unit this definition reaches.

School districts and hospital districts are within the definition, along with cities, counties and the state’s own agencies, so the settlement rule reaches the bodies whose disputes most often draw public attention.

Coverage matters here because the money is public. The chapter’s rule turns on tax money and state money, and the definition identifies the bodies that spend it.