BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center H.B. 2512
81R8840 KKA-F By: Aycock (Davis, Wendy)
AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
Currently, it is at the discretion of a hearing officer, usually an administrator, to determine whether an individual filing a grievance may record the grievance conference. Given the power held by an administrator in this regard, teachers may be reluctant even to ask whether they may audiotape a grievance hearing.
H.B. 2512 authorizes any party to a grievance conference to make an audio recording of the conference.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Section 11.171, Education Code, as follows:
Sec. 11.171. SCHOOL DISTRICT GRIEVANCE POLICY. (a) Creates this subsection from existing text. Requires that a school district grievance policy permit a school district employee to report a grievance against a supervisor that alleges the supervisor's violation of the law in the work place or the supervisor's unlawful harassment of the employee to a supervisor other than the supervisor against whom the employee intends to report the grievance.
(b) Requires that a school district grievance policy permit an audio recording to be made of any meeting or proceeding at which the substance of a grievance that complies with the policy is investigated or discussed. Provides that the recording may be made by a district employee present at the meeting or proceeding or by the person conducting the meeting or proceeding. Requires that each district employee or other person present at the meeting or proceeding be informed before the recording begins that the recording will occur, if the recording is made.
SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2009.