| 1 | 1 | | 86R1583 AAF-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Hinojosa H.B. No. 74 |
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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 requiring a public employer to give notice to new |
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| 8 | 8 | | employees of the ability of certain employees to participate in the |
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| 9 | 9 | | Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Subtitle A, Title 6, Government Code, is amended |
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| 12 | 12 | | by adding Chapter 620 to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | CHAPTER 620. NOTICE OF PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS PROGRAM |
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| 14 | 14 | | Sec. 620.001. DEFINITION. In this chapter, "public |
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| 15 | 15 | | employer" means: |
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| 16 | 16 | | (1) a county, a municipality, or another political |
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| 17 | 17 | | subdivision of this state, including a school district; or |
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| 18 | 18 | | (2) a board, a commission, an office, a department, or |
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| 19 | 19 | | another agency in the executive, judicial, or legislative branch of |
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| 20 | 20 | | state government, including an institution of higher education. |
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| 21 | 21 | | Sec. 620.002. NOTICE OF PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS |
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| 22 | 22 | | PROGRAM. Not later than the 30th day after the date on which an |
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| 23 | 23 | | employee begins employment with a public employer, the employer |
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| 24 | 24 | | shall provide written notice to the employee of the ability of |
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| 25 | 25 | | eligible employees of the employer to participate in the Public |
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| 26 | 26 | | Service Loan Forgiveness Program administered by the United States |
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| 27 | 27 | | Department of Education. A public employer may deliver a written |
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| 28 | 28 | | notice under this section to an employee by hand delivery, mail, |
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| 29 | 29 | | e-mail, or other form of electronic communication commonly used by |
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| 30 | 30 | | the employer to communicate with employees. |
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| 31 | 31 | | SECTION 2. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b) of this |
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| 32 | 32 | | section, Chapter 620, Government Code, as added by this Act, |
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| 33 | 33 | | applies to an employee who begins employment on or after the |
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| 34 | 34 | | effective date of this Act. |
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| 35 | 35 | | (b) A public employer, as defined by Section 620.001, |
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| 36 | 36 | | Government Code, as added by this Act, shall provide the written |
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| 37 | 37 | | notice described by Section 620.002, Government Code, as added by |
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| 38 | 38 | | this Act, to an employee employed by the employer on the effective |
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| 39 | 39 | | date of this Act not later than September 9, 2019. |
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| 40 | 40 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |
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