88R3397 SCP-F
 
  By: West S.B. No. 521
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to an employment termination report and other records
  submitted to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement by a law
  enforcement agency.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Sections 1701.452(a), (b), (d), and (g),
  Occupations Code, are amended to read as follows:
         (a)  The head of a law enforcement agency or the head's
  designee shall submit a report to the commission on a form
  prescribed by the commission regarding a person licensed under this
  chapter [who resigns or retires from employment with the law
  enforcement agency, whose appointment with the law enforcement
  agency is terminated, or] who separates from the law enforcement
  agency for any [other] reason. The report must be submitted by the
  head or the designee not later than the seventh business day after
  the date the license holder:
               (1)  [resigns, retires, is terminated, or] separates
  from the agency; and
               (2)  exhausts all administrative appeals available to
  the license holder, if applicable.
         (b)  The head of a law enforcement agency or the head's
  designee shall indicate [include] in the report required under
  Subsection (a) [a statement on] whether the license holder was
  suspected of misconduct, regardless of whether the license holder
  was terminated for misconduct [honorably discharged, generally
  discharged, or dishonorably discharged and, as required by the
  commission, an explanation of the circumstances under which the
  person resigned, retired, or was terminated]. For purposes of this
  subsection, "misconduct" includes a license holder engaging in
  criminal conduct, regardless of whether the license holder was
  arrested for, charged with, or convicted of an offense [:
               [(1)  "Honorably discharged" means a license holder
  who, while in good standing and not because of pending or final
  disciplinary actions or a documented performance problem, retired,
  resigned, or separated from employment with or died while employed
  by a law enforcement agency.
               [(2)  "Generally discharged" means a license holder
  who:
                     [(A)  was terminated by, retired or resigned from,
  or died while in the employ of a law enforcement agency and the
  separation was related to a disciplinary investigation of conduct
  that is not included in the definition of dishonorably discharged;
  or
                     [(B)  was terminated by or retired or resigned
  from a law enforcement agency and the separation was for a
  documented performance problem and was not because of a reduction
  in workforce or an at-will employment decision.
               [(3)  "Dishonorably discharged" means a license holder
  who:
                     [(A)  was terminated by a law enforcement agency
  or retired or resigned in lieu of termination by the agency in
  relation to allegations of criminal misconduct; or
                     [(B)  was terminated by a law enforcement agency
  or retired or resigned in lieu of termination by the agency for
  insubordination or untruthfulness].
         (d)  The head of the law enforcement agency from which a
  license holder [resigns, retires, is terminated, or] separates for
  reasons other than death, or the head's designee, shall provide to
  the license holder a copy of the report. The report must be provided
  to the license holder not later than the seventh business day after
  the date the license holder:
               (1)  [resigns, retires, is terminated, or] separates
  from the agency; and
               (2)  exhausts all administrative appeals available to
  the license holder, if applicable.
         (g)  The head of a law enforcement agency or the head's
  designee must submit a report under this section each time a person
  licensed under this chapter [resigns, retires, is terminated, or]
  separates for any [other] reason from the agency. The report is an
  official government document.
         SECTION 2.  Sections 1701.4525(a), (d), and (e), Occupations
  Code, are amended to read as follows:
         (a)  A person who is the subject of an employment termination
  report maintained by the commission under this subchapter may
  contest an indication under Section 1701.452(b) that the person was
  suspected of misconduct [information] contained in the report by
  submitting to the law enforcement agency and to the commission a
  written petition on a form prescribed by the commission for a
  correction of the report not later than the 30th day after the date
  the person receives a copy of the report. On receipt of the
  petition, the commission shall refer the petition to the State
  Office of Administrative Hearings.
         (d)  A proceeding to contest an indication of misconduct
  [information] in an employment termination report is a contested
  case under Chapter 2001, Government Code.
         (e)  In a proceeding to contest an indication of misconduct
  [information] in an employment termination report [for a report
  based on alleged misconduct], an administrative law judge shall
  determine if the alleged misconduct occurred by a preponderance of
  the evidence regardless of whether the person who is the subject of
  the report was terminated for the misconduct [or the person
  resigned, retired, or separated in lieu of termination]. If the
  alleged misconduct is not supported by a preponderance of the
  evidence, the administrative law judge shall order the commission
  to change the report. The commission shall send the changed report
  to the law enforcement agency that prepared the original employment
  termination report. The law enforcement agency shall replace the
  original employment termination report with the changed report.
         SECTION 3.  The following provisions of the Occupations Code
  are repealed:
               (1)  Section 1701.452(c);
               (2)  Section 1701.4521; and
               (3)  Section 1701.454.
         SECTION 4.  Not later than December 1, 2023, the Texas
  Commission on Law Enforcement shall update the form for an
  employment termination report as necessary to comply with Section
  1701.452, Occupations Code, as amended by this Act.
         SECTION 5.  The changes in law made by this Act apply only to
  a report required to be submitted under Section 1701.452,
  Occupations Code, as amended by this Act, regarding a separation of
  a license holder that occurs on or after December 1, 2023. A
  separation that occurs before December 1, 2023, is governed by the
  law in effect immediately before the effective date of this Act, and
  the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
         SECTION 6.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.