Texas Legislative Update: Bills Affecting Texas Employers

Posted on March 30, 2009 by Russell Cawyer

On March 20, 2009 I posted an entry about several leave of absence bills pending in the Texas Legislature.  Today I want to highlight a few other bills that will effect Texas employers if passed.

  • HB 32  Prohibiting discrimination against employees of workers' compensation nonsubscribers who sustain an injury in the course and scope of their employment.
  • HB 183  A bill to link the Texas minimum wage to the federal minimum wage.
  • HB 226 Prohibits an employer from discriminating against an employee that has refused to participate in an employer's charitable deduction campaign.  
  • HB 978  To amend, and greatly expand, prohibited disability discrimination under the Texas Commission on Human Rights Act.
  • SB 730 prohibits an employer from implementing policies prohibiting employees from keeping legal firearms and ammunition in locked vehicles on the employer's parking lot.
  • SB 986 To extend the statute of limitations for discrimination claims alleging discrimination in the payment of compensation.  State law equivalent of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.

There are also a number of immigration bills pending this session.  Michael Fox has detailed those bills on his blog.

 

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Texas Legislature Update: Employee Leaves of Absence

Posted on March 20, 2009 by Russell Cawyer

There are several pending bills in the Texas legislature that could effect the leaves of absence private employers must make available to their employees.  Some of these types of leaves have already been passed in more liberal states such as California and Massachusetts.  Pending leave of absence bills in the Texas legislature include:  

  • HB 615 Permitting employees with a child enrolled in a special education program and having at least one year tenure with the employer take 10 hours per year of unpaid leave to meet with certain school officials.
  • HB 1005 Requiring employers to provide employees employed at least 90 days to take up to 40 hours per year unpaid leave to meet with teachers or attend to certain school events, ceremonies or meetings. The bill also contains anti-retaliation provisions.  (See also SB 649)
  • HB 1057 Permitting employees with at least 6 months service to take not less than 2 weeks accrued paid leave for the birth or placement of adoption of a child.  Employees of employers that do not provide paid leave, who have insufficient paid leave or are ineligible for leave are entitled to between 2 and 6 unemployment benefits.  The bill does not mandate the creation of any leave programs but does provide a right to reinstatement for employees that utilize leave under this proposed law.  (See also SB 692)
  • SB 60   Requires employers to provide for unpaid time off to employees who are the victims of certain violent crimes to attend court proceedings.  The bill also provides a civil cause of action, damages and anti-retaliation provisions for violations.

 

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