Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB631 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New	Differences
1	1	88R452 RDS-D
2	2	By: Menéndez S.B. No. 631
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to eligibility for unemployment compensation for
8	8	employees who leave the workplace due to sexual harassment.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Section 207.046(a), Labor Code, is amended to
11	11	read as follows:
12	12	(a) An individual is not disqualified for benefits under
13	13	this subchapter if:
14	14	(1) the work-related reason for the individual's
15	15	separation from employment was urgent, compelling, and necessary so
16	16	as to make the separation involuntary;
17	17	(2) the individual leaves the workplace to protect the
18	18	individual from family violence or stalking or the individual or a
19	19	member of the individual's immediate family from violence related
20	20	to a sexual assault as evidenced by:
21	21	(A) an active or recently issued protective order
22	22	documenting sexual assault of the individual or a member of the
23	23	individual's immediate family or family violence against, or the
24	24	stalking of, the individual or the potential for family violence
25	25	against, or the stalking of, the individual;
26	26	(B) a police record documenting sexual assault of
27	27	the individual or a member of the individual's immediate family or
28	28	family violence against, or the stalking of, the individual;
29	29	(C) a physician's statement or other medical
30	30	documentation that describes the sexual assault of the individual
31	31	or a member of the individual's immediate family or family violence
32	32	against the individual that:
33	33	(i) is recorded in any form or medium that
34	34	identifies the individual or member of the individual's immediate
35	35	family, as applicable, as the patient; and
36	36	(ii) relates to the history, diagnosis,
37	37	treatment, or prognosis of the patient; or
38	38	(D) written documentation from a family violence
39	39	center or rape crisis center that describes the sexual assault of
40	40	the individual or a member of the individual's immediate family or
41	41	family violence against the individual;
42	42	(3) the individual leaves the workplace to care for
43	43	the individual's terminally ill spouse as evidenced by a
44	44	physician's statement or other medical documentation, but only if
45	45	no reasonable, alternative care was available; [or]
46	46	(4) the individual's separation from employment was
47	47	caused by the individual being called to provide:
48	48	(A) service in the uniformed services, as defined
49	49	by 38 U.S.C. Section 4303; or
50	50	(B) service in the Texas military forces, as
51	51	defined by Section 437.001, Government Code; or
52	52	(5) the individual leaves the workplace because of
53	53	sexual harassment, but only if the individual:
54	54	(A) reported the sexual harassment to:
55	55	(i) the individual's employer; or
56	56	(ii) a law enforcement agency; or
57	57	(B) filed a sexual harassment complaint with the
58	58	commission under Chapter 21 or with the federal Equal Employment
59	59	Opportunity Commission.
60	60	SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only
61	61	to a claim for unemployment compensation benefits filed with the
62	62	Texas Workforce Commission on or after the effective date of this
63	63	Act. A claim filed before the effective date of this Act is
64	64	governed by the law in effect on the date the claim was filed, and
65	65	the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
66	66	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.