By: West  S.B. No. 446
         (In the Senate - Filed January 24, 2019; February 14, 2019,
  read first time and referred to Committee on Business & Commerce;
  April 11, 2019, reported adversely, with favorable Committee
  Substitute by the following vote:  Yeas 9, Nays 0; April 11, 2019,
  sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote
 
  COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 446 By:  Nichols
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
 
  relating to requiring a public employer to give notice to new
  employees of the ability of certain employees to participate in the
  Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Subtitle A, Title 6, Government Code, is amended
  by adding Chapter 620 to read as follows:
  CHAPTER 620. NOTICE OF PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS PROGRAM
         Sec. 620.001.  DEFINITION. In this chapter, "public
  employer" means:
               (1)  a county, a municipality, or another political
  subdivision of this state, including a school district; or
               (2)  a board, a commission, an office, a department, or
  another agency in the executive, judicial, or legislative branch of
  state government, including an institution of higher education.
         Sec. 620.002.  NOTICE OF PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS
  PROGRAM. (a)  Except as provided by Subsection (b) and not later
  than the 30th day after the date on which an employee begins
  employment with a public employer, the employer shall provide
  written notice to the employee of the ability of eligible employees
  of the employer to participate in the Public Service Loan
  Forgiveness Program administered by the United States Department of
  Education.  A public employer may deliver a written notice under
  this section to an employee by hand delivery, mail, e-mail, or other
  form of electronic communication commonly used by the employer to
  communicate with employees.
         (b)  This section does not apply to a public employer if the
  Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program administered by the United
  States Department of Education is discontinued or funds are not
  made available for the program.
         SECTION 2.  (a)  Except as provided by Subsection (b) of this
  section, Chapter 620, Government Code, as added by this Act,
  applies to an employee who begins employment on or after the
  effective date of this Act.
         (b)  A public employer, as defined by Section 620.001,
  Government Code, as added by this Act, shall provide the written
  notice described by Section 620.002, Government Code, as added by
  this Act, to an employee employed by the employer on the effective
  date of this Act not later than September 9, 2019.
         SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.
 
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