| 1 | 1 | | By: Slaton H.B. No. 33 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 5 | 5 | | AN ACT |
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| 6 | 6 | | relating to a prohibition on certain companies and hospitals from |
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| 7 | 7 | | requiring employees to receive a COVID-19 vaccination; creating a |
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| 8 | 8 | | criminal offense. |
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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. Subtitle A, Title 2, Labor Code, is amended by |
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| 11 | 11 | | adding Chapter 24 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | CHAPTER 24. CERTAIN EMPLOYER-REQUIRED VACCINATIONS PROHIBITED |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 24.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter: |
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| 14 | 14 | | (1) "Company" has the meaning assigned by Section |
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| 15 | 15 | | 808.001, Government Code. |
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| 16 | 16 | | (2) "COVID-19" means the 2019 novel coronavirus |
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| 17 | 17 | | disease. |
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| 18 | 18 | | (3) "Hospital" means a health facility that is |
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| 19 | 19 | | licensed under Chapter 241, Health and Safety Code. |
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| 20 | 20 | | (4) "License" means a license, certificate, |
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| 21 | 21 | | registration, permit, or other authorization that: |
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| 22 | 22 | | (A) is issued by a state agency or political |
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| 23 | 23 | | subdivision; and |
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| 24 | 24 | | (B) a company must obtain to engage in a |
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| 25 | 25 | | particular business or occupation. |
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| 26 | 26 | | (5) "Political subdivision" means a county, |
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| 27 | 27 | | municipality, school district, special purpose district, or other |
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| 28 | 28 | | subdivision of state government that has jurisdiction limited to a |
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| 29 | 29 | | geographic portion of the state. |
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| 30 | 30 | | (6) "State agency" has the meaning assigned by Section |
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| 31 | 31 | | 609.001, Government Code. |
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| 32 | 32 | | Sec. 24.002. OFFENSE; PENALTIES. (a) A company or hospital |
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| 33 | 33 | | commits an offense if the company or hospital requires, as a |
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| 34 | 34 | | condition of employment, an employee to receive a COVID-19 |
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| 35 | 35 | | vaccination. |
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| 36 | 36 | | (b) Each employee required to receive a vaccination is a |
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| 37 | 37 | | separate offense under Subsection (a). |
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| 38 | 38 | | (c) An offense under this section is a Class B misdemeanor. |
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| 39 | 39 | | (d) Notwithstanding any other law, a company that is |
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| 40 | 40 | | convicted of an offense under this section is not eligible to hold a |
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| 41 | 41 | | license until the fifth anniversary of the date of the conviction. |
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| 42 | 42 | | A state agency or political subdivision shall revoke a license |
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| 43 | 43 | | issued to a company that is ineligible to hold the license under |
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| 44 | 44 | | this subsection. |
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| 45 | 45 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect on the 91st day after the |
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| 46 | 46 | | last day of the legislative session. |
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