Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB673 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R694 KKR-F
2	2	By: Thompson H.B. No. 673
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the eligibility of certain first responders for
10	10	workers' compensation benefits for post-traumatic stress disorder.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 501, Labor Code, is
13	13	amended by adding Section 501.030 to read as follows:
14	14	Sec. 501.030. COVERAGE FOR POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
15	15	FOR FIRST RESPONDERS. (a) In this section, "first responder"
16	16	means:
17	17	(1) an employee described by Section 501.001(5)(C),
18	18	(D), (E), or (F); or
19	19	(2) an employee who is:
20	20	(A) a person licensed under Chapter 773, Health
21	21	and Safety Code, as an emergency care attendant, emergency medical
22	22	technician, advanced emergency medical technician, emergency
23	23	medical technician-paramedic, or licensed paramedic; or
24	24	(B) a firefighter subject to certification by the
25	25	Texas Commission on Fire Protection under Chapter 419, Government
26	26	Code, whose principal duties are firefighting and aircraft crash
27	27	and rescue.
28	28	(b) Post-traumatic stress disorder suffered by a first
29	29	responder is a compensable injury under this subtitle only if it is
30	30	based on a diagnosis that:
31	31	(1) the disorder is caused by one or more events
32	32	occurring in the course and scope of the first responder's
33	33	employment; and
34	34	(2) the preponderance of the evidence indicates that
35	35	the event or events were a producing cause of the disorder.
36	36	(c) For purposes of this subtitle, the date of injury for
37	37	post-traumatic stress disorder suffered by a first responder is the
38	38	date on which the first responder first knew or should have known
39	39	that the disorder may be related to the first responder's
40	40	employment.
41	41	SECTION 2. Subchapter B, Chapter 502, Labor Code, is
42	42	amended by adding Section 502.026 to read as follows:
43	43	Sec. 502.026. COVERAGE FOR POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
44	44	FOR FIRST RESPONDERS. (a) In this section:
45	45	(1) "First responder" means an employee who is:
46	46	(A) a peace officer under Article 2A.001, Code of
47	47	Criminal Procedure;
48	48	(B) a person licensed under Chapter 773, Health
49	49	and Safety Code, as an emergency care attendant, emergency medical
50	50	technician, advanced emergency medical technician, emergency
51	51	medical technician-paramedic, or licensed paramedic; or
52	52	(C) a firefighter subject to certification by the
53	53	Texas Commission on Fire Protection under Chapter 419, Government
54	54	Code, whose principal duties are firefighting and aircraft crash
55	55	and rescue.
56	56	(2) "Post-traumatic stress disorder" means a disorder
57	57	that meets the diagnostic criteria for post-traumatic stress
58	58	disorder specified by the American Psychiatric Association in the
59	59	Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth
60	60	edition, or a later edition adopted by the commissioner of workers'
61	61	compensation.
62	62	(b) Post-traumatic stress disorder suffered by a first
63	63	responder is a compensable injury under this subtitle only if it is
64	64	based on a diagnosis that:
65	65	(1) the disorder is caused by one or more events
66	66	occurring in the course and scope of the first responder's
67	67	employment; and
68	68	(2) the preponderance of the evidence indicates that
69	69	the event or events were a producing cause of the disorder.
70	70	(c) For purposes of this subtitle, the date of injury for
71	71	post-traumatic stress disorder suffered by a first responder is the
72	72	date on which the first responder first knew or should have known
73	73	that the disorder may be related to the first responder's
74	74	employment.
75	75	SECTION 3. Subchapter B, Chapter 503, Labor Code, is
76	76	amended by adding Section 503.026 to read as follows:
77	77	Sec. 503.026. COVERAGE FOR POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
78	78	FOR FIRST RESPONDERS. (a) In this section:
79	79	(1) "First responder" means an employee who is:
80	80	(A) a peace officer under Article 2A.001, Code of
81	81	Criminal Procedure;
82	82	(B) a person licensed under Chapter 773, Health
83	83	and Safety Code, as an emergency care attendant, emergency medical
84	84	technician, advanced emergency medical technician, emergency
85	85	medical technician-paramedic, or licensed paramedic; or
86	86	(C) a firefighter subject to certification by the
87	87	Texas Commission on Fire Protection under Chapter 419, Government
88	88	Code, whose principal duties are firefighting and aircraft crash
89	89	and rescue.
90	90	(2) "Post-traumatic stress disorder" means a disorder
91	91	that meets the diagnostic criteria for post-traumatic stress
92	92	disorder specified by the American Psychiatric Association in the
93	93	Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth
94	94	edition, or a later edition adopted by the commissioner of workers'
95	95	compensation.
96	96	(b) Post-traumatic stress disorder suffered by a first
97	97	responder is a compensable injury under this subtitle only if it is
98	98	based on a diagnosis that:
99	99	(1) the disorder is caused by one or more events
100	100	occurring in the course and scope of the first responder's
101	101	employment; and
102	102	(2) the preponderance of the evidence indicates that
103	103	the event or events were a producing cause of the disorder.
104	104	(c) For purposes of this subtitle, the date of injury for
105	105	post-traumatic stress disorder suffered by a first responder is the
106	106	date on which the first responder first knew or should have known
107	107	that the disorder may be related to the first responder's
108	108	employment.
109	109	SECTION 4. Subchapter B, Chapter 505, Labor Code, is
110	110	amended by adding Section 505.014 to read as follows:
111	111	Sec. 505.014. COVERAGE FOR POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
112	112	FOR FIRST RESPONDERS. (a) In this section:
113	113	(1) "First responder" means an employee who is:
114	114	(A) a peace officer under Article 2A.001, Code of
115	115	Criminal Procedure;
116	116	(B) a person licensed under Chapter 773, Health
117	117	and Safety Code, as an emergency care attendant, emergency medical
118	118	technician, advanced emergency medical technician, emergency
119	119	medical technician-paramedic, or licensed paramedic; or
120	120	(C) a firefighter subject to certification by the
121	121	Texas Commission on Fire Protection under Chapter 419, Government
122	122	Code, whose principal duties are firefighting and aircraft crash
123	123	and rescue.
124	124	(2) "Post-traumatic stress disorder" means a disorder
125	125	that meets the diagnostic criteria for post-traumatic stress
126	126	disorder specified by the American Psychiatric Association in the
127	127	Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth
128	128	edition, or a later edition adopted by the commissioner of workers'
129	129	compensation.
130	130	(b) Post-traumatic stress disorder suffered by a first
131	131	responder is a compensable injury under this subtitle only if it is
132	132	based on a diagnosis that:
133	133	(1) the disorder is caused by one or more events
134	134	occurring in the course and scope of the first responder's
135	135	employment; and
136	136	(2) the preponderance of the evidence indicates that
137	137	the event or events were a producing cause of the disorder.
138	138	(c) For purposes of this subtitle, the date of injury for
139	139	post-traumatic stress disorder suffered by a first responder is the
140	140	date on which the first responder first knew or should have known
141	141	that the disorder may be related to the first responder's
142	142	employment.
143	143	SECTION 5. Section 408.006(b), Labor Code, is amended to
144	144	read as follows:
145	145	(b) Notwithstanding Sections 501.030, 502.026, 503.026,
146	146	[Section] 504.019, and 505.014, a mental or emotional injury that
147	147	arises principally from a legitimate personnel action, including a
148	148	transfer, promotion, demotion, or termination, is not a compensable
149	149	injury under this subtitle.
150	150	SECTION 6. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to
151	151	a claim for workers' compensation benefits based on a compensable
152	152	injury that occurs on or after the effective date of this Act. A
153	153	claim based on a compensable injury that occurs before that date is
154	154	governed by the law as it existed on the date the compensable injury
155	155	occurred, and the former law is continued in effect for that
156	156	purpose.
157	157	SECTION 7. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.