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House Bill 581 |
House Author: Howard et al. |
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Effective: 9-1-13 |
Senate Sponsor: Lucio et al. |
House Bill 581 amends the Occupations Code to authorize a nurse employed by a hospital operated by or on behalf of a state or local governmental entity to sue the entity for relief from certain retaliatory actions taken against the nurse and to waive the sovereign immunity of the entity for the limited purpose of maintaining such a lawsuit. The bill provides that such relief is in addition to any other remedies a nurse may have under state or federal law as a public employee and specifies the Government Code provisions relating to protections for public employees who report violations of law that are applicable to such a lawsuit. The bill also specifies the venue requirements for filing such a lawsuit and the requirements that a nurse who reports certain violations and patient care concerns must meet for relief to be authorized.