| 1 | 1 | | 86R12133 MTB-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Zwiener H.B. No. 2558 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to prohibited retaliation against state employees for |
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| 8 | 8 | | referring to climate change or global warming. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 651, Government Code, is amended by |
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| 11 | 11 | | adding Section 651.011 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 651.011. RETALIATION PROHIBITED FOR CLIMATE CHANGE OR |
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| 13 | 13 | | GLOBAL WARMING REFERENCES. (a) In this section: |
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| 14 | 14 | | (1) "Personnel action" means an action that affects an |
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| 15 | 15 | | employee's compensation, promotion, demotion, transfer, work |
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| 16 | 16 | | assignment, or performance evaluation. |
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| 17 | 17 | | (2) "State agency" means: |
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| 18 | 18 | | (A) a board, commission, department, office, or |
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| 19 | 19 | | other agency in the executive branch of state government, created |
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| 20 | 20 | | under the constitution or a statute of the state, including an |
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| 21 | 21 | | institution of higher education, as defined by Section 61.003, |
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| 22 | 22 | | Education Code; |
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| 23 | 23 | | (B) the legislature or a legislative agency; or |
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| 24 | 24 | | (C) the Texas Supreme Court, the Texas Court of |
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| 25 | 25 | | Criminal Appeals, a court of appeals, a state judicial agency, or |
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| 26 | 26 | | the State Bar of Texas. |
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| 27 | 27 | | (b) A state agency may not suspend or terminate the |
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| 28 | 28 | | employment of, or take other adverse personnel action against, an |
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| 29 | 29 | | employee of the agency who in the course of employment refers to |
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| 30 | 30 | | climate change, global warming, or the effects of those phenomena. |
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| 31 | 31 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 32 | 32 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 33 | 33 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 34 | 34 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 35 | 35 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |
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