| 1 | | - | By: Burrows, et al. (Senate Sponsor - Perry) H.B. No. 2082 |
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| 2 | | - | (In the Senate - Received from the House May 10, 2017; |
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| 3 | | - | May 10, 2017, read first time and referred to Committee on Business & |
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| 4 | | - | Commerce; May 21, 2017, reported favorably by the following vote: |
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| 5 | | - | Yeas 8, Nays 0; May 21, 2017, sent to printer.) |
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| 6 | | - | Click here to see the committee vote |
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| 1 | + | H.B. No. 2082 |
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| 10 | 4 | | AN ACT |
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| 11 | 5 | | relating to the designation of a liaison to assist first responders |
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| 12 | 6 | | with workers' compensation claims. |
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| 13 | 7 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 14 | 8 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter D, Chapter 404, Labor Code, is |
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| 15 | 9 | | amended by adding Section 404.1525 to read as follows: |
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| 16 | 10 | | Sec. 404.1525. FIRST RESPONDER LIAISON. (a) In this |
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| 17 | 11 | | section, "first responder" has the meaning assigned by Section |
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| 18 | 12 | | 504.055. |
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| 19 | 13 | | (b) The public counsel shall designate an employee of the |
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| 20 | 14 | | office to act as first responder liaison. |
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| 21 | 15 | | (c) The first responder liaison shall assist an injured |
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| 22 | 16 | | first responder and, if applicable, the ombudsman assigned to the |
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| 23 | 17 | | first responder's case, during a workers' compensation |
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| 24 | 18 | | administrative dispute resolution process. |
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| 25 | 19 | | (d) The first responder liaison: |
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| 26 | 20 | | (1) must meet the qualifications for designation as an |
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| 27 | 21 | | ombudsman under this subchapter; and |
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| 28 | 22 | | (2) is subject to the training and education |
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| 29 | 23 | | requirements for an ombudsman under this subchapter. |
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| 30 | 24 | | SECTION 2. Section 404.153, Labor Code, is amended by |
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| 31 | 25 | | adding Subsection (a-1) to read as follows: |
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| 32 | 26 | | (a-1) An employer that employs first responders or |
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| 33 | 27 | | supervises volunteer first responders shall notify the first |
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| 34 | 28 | | responders of the first responder liaison in the manner prescribed |
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| 35 | 29 | | by the office. In this subsection, "first responder" has the |
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| 36 | 30 | | meaning assigned by Section 504.055. |
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| 37 | 31 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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| 38 | | - | * * * * * |
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| 32 | + | ______________________________ ______________________________ |
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| 33 | + | President of the Senate Speaker of the House |
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| 34 | + | I certify that H.B. No. 2082 was passed by the House on May 9, |
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| 35 | + | 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 133, Nays 7, 1 present, not |
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| 36 | + | voting. |
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| 37 | + | ______________________________ |
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| 38 | + | Chief Clerk of the House |
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| 39 | + | I certify that H.B. No. 2082 was passed by the Senate on May |
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| 40 | + | 24, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. |
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| 41 | + | ______________________________ |
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| 42 | + | Secretary of the Senate |
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| 43 | + | APPROVED: _____________________ |
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| 44 | + | Date |
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| 45 | + | _____________________ |
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| 46 | + | Governor |
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