SRC-ARR S.B. 258 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research CenterS.B. 258 By: West Criminal Justice 6/28/1999 Enrolled DIGEST Currently, Texas law does not consider prisoners of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to be "employees" for purposes of the Texas Hazard Communication Act, Chapter 502 of the Health and Safety Code. Thus, state prison inmates are not statutorily required to be informed about and trained in using hazardous chemicals in their workplace. There are approximately 55,000 offenders who have direct contact with chemicals requiring Hazard Communication Act training. This figure represents offenders assigned to industry, food service, laundry, maintenance, agriculture, and support service inmate orderly duties. S.B. 258 authorizes applicability of the Hazard Communication Act to certain inmates of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. PURPOSE As enrolled, S.B. 258 authorizes applicability of the Hazard Communication Act to certain inmates of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY This bill does not grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 502, Health and Safety Code, by adding Section 502.020, as follows: Sec. 502.020. Provides that a person imprisoned in a facility operated by or for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (department) is not an employee for the purpose of this chapter. Requires the department to provide a person imprisoned in a facility operated by or for the department the protections from exposure to hazardous chemicals in the workplace as provided for in this chapter. SECTION 2. Emergency clause. Effective date: upon passage.