By Keel                                         H.B. No. 2849

      75R9211 T                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the termination of employees of institutions of higher

 1-3     education who misrepresent criminal history information.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Chapter 51, Subchapter E, Education Code, is

 1-6     amended by adding Section 51.217 to read as follows:

 1-7           Sec. 51.217.  FAILURE TO DISCLOSE CRIMINAL CONVICTION.  An

 1-8     institution of higher education as defined in Section 61.003 may

 1-9     discharge an employee who fails to disclose a prior conviction of a

1-10     felony or of a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude in his or her

1-11     application for employment.   An employee discharged under this

1-12     section is considered to have been discharged for misconduct for

1-13     purposes of Section 207.044 of the Labor Code.

1-14           SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-15     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-16     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-17     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-18     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

1-19     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

1-20     passage, and it is so enacted.