81R8151 TJS-F
 
  By: Solomons H.B. No. 1201
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to liability of an in-home service company or residential
  delivery company for negligent hiring.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 145.002, Civil Practice and Remedies
  Code, is amended to read as follows:
         Sec. 145.002.  CRIMINAL HISTORY BACKGROUND CHECK.  Before
  associating with or hiring an officer, employee, or prospective
  employee in a position whose duties include entry into another
  person's residence, an [An] in-home service company or residential
  delivery company shall:
               (1)  obtain from the Department of Public Safety or a
  private vendor approved by the department and offering services
  comparable to the services offered by the department all criminal
  history record information relating to the [an] officer, employee,
  or prospective employee;  or
               (2)  ascertain that the person holds in good standing
  an occupational license issued by a licensing authority in this
  state that has, before issuing or renewing the license, performed a
  criminal history background check [of the company whose job duties
  require or will require entry into another person's residence].
         SECTION 2.  Sections 145.003(a) and (b), Civil Practice and
  Remedies Code, are amended to read as follows:
         (a)  This section applies only to an action against an
  in-home service company or residential delivery company that:
               (1)  arises out of a criminal act or omission by an
  officer or employee of the company as to whom the company has
  obtained [is required to obtain] criminal history record
  information under Section 145.002(1) [145.002];
               (2)  is brought by or on behalf of a person whose home
  the officer or employee entered while in the performance of the
  employee's job duties, without regard to where the criminal act or
  omission occurred; and
               (3)  seeks damages from the company for the negligent
  hiring of the officer or employee.
         (b)  In an action to which this section applies, an in-home
  service company or residential delivery company is rebuttably
  presumed to have not acted negligently if:
               (1)  at the time a person was hired, the company
  obtained criminal history record information regarding the officer
  or employee under Section 145.002(1); and
               (2)  the criminal history record information shows
  that, in the 20 years preceding the date the information was
  obtained for a felony or in the 10 years preceding the date the
  information was obtained for a Class A or Class B misdemeanor, the
  officer or employee had not been convicted of, or placed on deferred
  adjudication for:
                     (A)  an offense in this state classified as:
                           (i)  an offense against the person or the
  family;
                           (ii)  an offense against property; or
                           (iii)  public indecency; or
                     (B)  an offense in another jurisdiction that would
  be classified in a category described by Paragraph (A) if the
  offense had occurred in this state.
         SECTION 3.  The change in law made by this Act applies only
  to an action that accrues on or after the effective date of this
  Act. An action that accrues before the effective date of this Act
  is governed by the law in effect immediately before the effective
  date of this Act, and that law is continued in effect for that
  purpose.
         SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
  a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
  provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
  Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
  Act takes effect September 1, 2009.