| 1 | 1 | | 88R13382 RDS-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Bryant H.B. No. 4681 |
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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 the requirement that a public employer give notice to |
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| 8 | 8 | | employees of the right to join certain labor organizations. |
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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 617, Government Code, is amended by |
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| 11 | 11 | | adding Section 617.006 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 617.006. NOTICE OF RIGHT TO JOIN LABOR ORGANIZATION. |
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| 13 | 13 | | (a) In this section, "public employer" means: |
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| 14 | 14 | | (1) a county, municipality, or other political |
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| 15 | 15 | | subdivision of this state, including a school district; |
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| 16 | 16 | | (2) a board, commission, office, department, or other |
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| 17 | 17 | | agency in the executive, judicial, or legislative branch of state |
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| 18 | 18 | | government; or |
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| 19 | 19 | | (3) an institution of higher education, as defined by |
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| 20 | 20 | | Section 61.003, Education Code. |
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| 21 | 21 | | (b) Not later than the 30th day after the date an employee |
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| 22 | 22 | | begins employment with a public employer, the public employer |
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| 23 | 23 | | shall provide notice to the employee of the employee's right to join |
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| 24 | 24 | | a labor organization that has informed the public employer it is |
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| 25 | 25 | | representing public employees in the employer's workplace. The |
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| 26 | 26 | | notice must include: |
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| 27 | 27 | | (1) a link to the Internet website maintained by each |
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| 28 | 28 | | labor organization that has informed the public employer it is |
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| 29 | 29 | | representing public employees in the workplace and that maintains |
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| 30 | 30 | | an Internet website; |
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| 31 | 31 | | (2) if the Internet website maintained by a labor |
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| 32 | 32 | | organization under Subdivision (1) includes information on how to |
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| 33 | 33 | | join the labor organization, a link to that information; and |
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| 34 | 34 | | (3) a link to state laws relating to an individual's |
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| 35 | 35 | | right to join a labor organization, including, as applicable: |
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| 36 | 36 | | (A) Sections 617.004 and 617.005 of this code; |
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| 37 | 37 | | (B) Section 21.408, Education Code; |
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| 38 | 38 | | (C) Section 101.001, Labor Code; and |
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| 39 | 39 | | (D) Section 101.052, Labor Code. |
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| 40 | 40 | | (c) A public employer shall provide the notice under this |
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| 41 | 41 | | section by e-mail or any other form of electronic communication |
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| 42 | 42 | | that is commonly used by the public employer to communicate with |
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| 43 | 43 | | employees. |
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| 44 | 44 | | SECTION 2. (a) In this section, "public employer" has the |
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| 45 | 45 | | meaning assigned by Section 617.006, Government Code, as added by |
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| 46 | 46 | | this Act. |
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| 47 | 47 | | (b) Except as provided by Subsection (c) of this section, |
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| 48 | 48 | | Section 617.006, Government Code, as added by this Act, applies to |
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| 49 | 49 | | an employee who begins employment with a public employer on or after |
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| 50 | 50 | | the effective date of this Act. |
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| 51 | 51 | | (c) A public employer shall provide the written notice as |
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| 52 | 52 | | required by Section 617.006, Government Code, as added by this Act, |
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| 53 | 53 | | to each employee employed by the public employer on the effective |
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| 54 | 54 | | date of this Act not later than September 30, 2023. |
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| 55 | 55 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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