| TO: | Honorable Rodney Ellis, Chair, Senate Committee on Open Government |
| FROM: | Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | SB121 by Rodríguez (Relating to prohibited retaliation against state or local public employees for reporting to certain persons violations of law.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted |
The bill would amend the Government Code, Chapter 554, to prohibit retaliation against school district employees, including public charter school employees, for reporting in writing any policy or law violations of the school, district, or its employees. This restriction applies if the employee reports in writing to a person designated to receive complaints or the human resources director for the school or district. The bill would require the posting of a notice to employees of a state or local governmental entity of their rights related to reporting violations of law. The notice would have to be in English and Spanish. It would also have to include a description of appropriate law enforcement authorities to whom to report violations of the law and a statement summarizing an employee’s right to sue.
The bill 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 the bill does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, it takes effect September 1, 2013.
| Source Agencies: | 320 Texas Workforce Commission, 701 Central Education Agency, 302 Office of the Attorney General
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| LBB Staff: | UP, KKR, JI, JJO, JBi, KJo, AG, TP
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