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          A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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          AN ACT
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        relating to requiring a public employer to give notice to new  | 
      
      
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        employees of the ability of certain employees to participate in the  | 
      
      
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        Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. | 
      
      
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               BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | 
      
      
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               SECTION 1.  Subtitle A, Title 6, Government Code, is amended  | 
      
      
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        by adding Chapter 620 to read as follows: | 
      
      
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        CHAPTER 620. NOTICE OF PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS PROGRAM | 
      
      
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               Sec. 620.001.  DEFINITION.  In this chapter, "public  | 
      
      
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        employer" means: | 
      
      
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                     (1)  a county, a municipality, or another political  | 
      
      
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        subdivision of this state, including a school district; or | 
      
      
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                     (2)  a board, a commission, an office, a department, or  | 
      
      
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        another agency in the executive, judicial, or legislative branch of  | 
      
      
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        state government, including an institution of higher education. | 
      
      
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               Sec. 620.002.  NOTICE OF PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS  | 
      
      
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        PROGRAM.  Not later than the 30th day after the date on which an  | 
      
      
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        employee begins employment with a public employer, the employer  | 
      
      
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        shall provide written notice to the employee of the ability of  | 
      
      
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        eligible employees of the employer to participate in the Public  | 
      
      
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        Service Loan Forgiveness Program administered by the United States  | 
      
      
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        Department of Education.  A public employer may deliver a written  | 
      
      
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        notice under this section to an employee by hand delivery, mail,  | 
      
      
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        e-mail, or other form of electronic communication commonly used by  | 
      
      
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        the employer to communicate with employees. | 
      
      
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               SECTION 2.  (a)  Except as provided by Subsection (b) of this  | 
      
      
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        section, Chapter 620, Government Code, as added by this Act,  | 
      
      
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        applies to an employee who begins employment on or after the  | 
      
      
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        effective date of this Act. | 
      
      
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               (b)  A public employer, as defined by Section 620.001,  | 
      
      
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        Government Code, as added by this Act, shall provide the written  | 
      
      
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        notice described by Section 620.002, Government Code, as added by  | 
      
      
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        this Act, to an employee employed by the employer on the effective  | 
      
      
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        date of this Act not later than September 9, 2019. | 
      
      
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               SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |