BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 1939

By: Orr

Defense & Veterans' Affairs

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Texas has a history of offering preference to veterans seeking employment with the state. Interested parties assert that the current veteran's preference hiring and reporting requirements could be improved. H.B. 1939 seeks to implement some of these improvements by requiring hiring entities, if certain criteria are met, to offer an interview to a qualified person claiming a veteran's hiring preference and by specifying additional reporting requirements.

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

H.B. 1939 amends the Government Code to require the individual whose duty is to appoint or employ an applicant for an announced open position with a public entity or public work of the state to offer an interview to each applicant entitled to a veteran's employment preference who is qualified for the position.  The bill requires the report that a public entity is required to file quarterly with the comptroller of public accounts to state the percentage of the total number of persons applying for employment with the entity during the reporting period who are persons entitled to a veteran's employment preference.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2013.