SRC-ARR S.B. 258 76(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.B. 258
76R429 GWK-DBy: West
Criminal Justice
2/26/1999
As Filed


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 would
amend the definition of "employee" in the Texas Hazard Communication Act to
ensure that the Act is applicable to prison inmates. 

PURPOSE

As proposed, 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 502.003(10), Health and Safety Code, to redefine
"employee" as a person who may be or may have been exposed to hazardous
chemicals, and includes a person imprisoned in a facility operated by or
for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and working as a condition of
the person's sentence. 

SECTION 3. Emergency clause.
                      Effective date: upon passage.