BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 1470

By: Thibaut

Public Education

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Current law entitles a school district employee who is physically assaulted during the performance of the employee's regular duties to the number of days of leave necessary to recuperate from all physical injuries sustained as a result of the assault, upon the employee's request. Since the responsibility for requesting the leave falls upon the employee, it is important that the employee know about this right to assault leave. Many employees, however, are unaware of the availability of assault leave because notice is not provided to them or is buried in an employee handbook or other district-provided literature.

C.S.H.B. 1470 requires a school district to include notification of an employee's rights to assault leave in any informational handbook the district provides and on any form used to request leave.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 1470 amends the Education Code to require a school district to include notification of an employee's rights to assault leave in the relevant section of any informational handbook the school district provides to employees in an electronic or paper form or makes available by posting on the district website.  The bill requires any form used by a school district through which an employee may request personal leave to include assault leave as an option.

C.S.H.B. 1470 makes its provisions applicable beginning with the 2009-2010 school year.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the act does not receive the necessary vote, the act takes effect September 1, 2009.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 1470 removes provisions in the original requiring a school district to notify each district employee in writing of the employee's rights to assault leave within a specified time frame and in a specified form and adds provisions requiring such a notification to be provided by a school district in an electronic or paper version of an informational teacher handbook or other informational handbook.