Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB2627 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	By: West S.B. No. 2627
2	2
3	3
4	4
5	5
6	6	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
7	7	AN ACT
8	8	relating to certain proceedings and penalties associated with
9	9	racial discrimination against persons.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Sec. 51.014(a), Civil Practice and Remedies
12	12	Code, is amended to read as follows:
13	13	(a) A person may appeal from an interlocutory order of a
14	14	district court, county court at law, statutory probate court, or
15	15	county court that:
16	16	(1) appoints a receiver or trustee;
17	17	(2) overrules a motion to vacate an order that
18	18	appoints a receiver or trustee;
19	19	(3) certifies or refuses to certify a class in a suit
20	20	brought under Rule 42 of the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure;
21	21	(4) grants or refuses a temporary injunction or grants
22	22	or overrules a motion to dissolve a temporary injunction as
23	23	provided by Chapter 65;
24	24	(5) denies a motion for summary judgment that is based
25	25	on an assertion of immunity by an individual who is an officer or
26	26	employee of the state or a political subdivision of the state;
27	27	(6) denies a motion for summary judgment that is based
28	28	in whole or in part upon a claim against or defense by a member of
29	29	the electronic or print media, acting in such capacity, or a person
30	30	whose communication appears in or is published by the electronic or
31	31	print media, arising under the free speech or free press clause of
32	32	the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, or Article
33	33	I, Section 8, of the Texas Constitution, or Chapter 73;
34	34	(7) grants or denies the special appearance of a
35	35	defendant under Rule 120a, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, except
36	36	in a suit brought under the Family Code;
37	37	(8) grants or denies a plea to the jurisdiction by a
38	38	governmental unit as that term is defined in Section 101.001,
39	39	except for an action filed under Chapter 106 of this code or Chapter
40	40	21, Labor Code;
41	41	(9) denies all or part of the relief sought by a motion
42	42	under Section 74.351(b), except that an appeal may not be taken from
43	43	an order granting an extension under Section 74.351;
44	44	(10) grants relief sought by a motion under Section
45	45	74.351(l);
46	46	(11) denies a motion to dismiss filed under Section
47	47	90.007;
48	48	(12) denies a motion to dismiss filed under Section
49	49	27.003;
50	50	(13) denies a motion for summary judgment filed by an
51	51	electric utility regarding liability in a suit subject to Section
52	52	75.0022;
53	53	(14) denies a motion filed by a municipality with a
54	54	population of 500,000 or more in an action filed under Section
55	55	54.012(6) or 214.0012, Local Government Code;
56	56	(15) makes a preliminary determination on a claim
57	57	under Section 74.353;
58	58	(16) overrules an objection filed under Section
59	59	148.003(d) or denies all or part of the relief sought by a motion
60	60	under Section 148.003(f); or
61	61	(17) grants or denies a motion for summary judgment
62	62	filed by a contractor based on Section 97.002.
63	63	SECTION 2. Section 106.002, Civil Practice and Remedies
64	64	Code, is amended by adding Subsection (c) to read as follows:
65	65	(c) A prevailing party may recover punitive damages against
66	66	a governmental employee, officer, or entity for a violation of this
67	67	chapter. All defenses and immunities to such damages are waived in
68	68	an action brought against a governmental employee, officer, or
69	69	entity under this chapter.
70	70	SECTION 3. Section 106.003(b), Civil Practice and Remedies
71	71	Code, is amended to read as follows:
72	72	(b) An offense under this section is a misdemeanor
73	73	punishable by:
74	74	(1) a fine of not more than $4,000 [$1,000];
75	75	(2) confinement in the county jail for not more than
76	76	one year; or
77	77	(3) both the fine and confinement.
78	78	SECTION 4. Section 21.201(g), Labor Code, is amended to
79	79	read as follows:
80	80	(g) If a perfected complaint is not received by the
81	81	commission within two years [180 days] of the alleged unlawful
82	82	employment practice [or, for a complaint alleging sexual
83	83	harassment, within 300 days of the alleged sexual harassment], the
84	84	commission shall notify the respondent that a complaint has been
85	85	filed and that the process of perfecting the complaint is in
86	86	progress.
87	87	SECTION 5. Section 21.202(a), Labor Code, is amended to
88	88	read as follows:
89	89	(a) A [Except as provided by Subsection (a-1), a] complaint
90	90	under this subchapter must be filed not later than two years [the
91	91	180th day] after the date the alleged unlawful employment practice
92	92	occurred.
93	93	SECTION 6. Section 21.253(a), Labor Code, is amended to
94	94	read as follows:
95	95	(a) On receipt of a written request by a complainant, the
96	96	commission shall immediately issue [before the 181st day after the
97	97	date the complaint was filed] a notice of the right to file a civil
98	98	action [if:
99	99	[(1) the complainant alleges an unlawful employment
100	100	practice based on the complainant's status as an individual with a
101	101	life-threatening illness, as confirmed in writing by a physician
102	102	licensed to practice medicine in this state; or
103	103	[(2) the executive director certifies that
104	104	administrative processing of the complaint cannot be completed
105	105	before the 181st day after the date the complaint was filed].
106	106	SECTION 7. Section 21.2585(b), Labor Code, is amended to
107	107	read as follows:
108	108	(b) A complainant may recover punitive damages against a
109	109	respondent, including [other than] a respondent that is a
110	110	governmental entity, if the complainant demonstrates that the
111	111	respondent engaged in a discriminatory practice with malice or with
112	112	reckless indifference to the state-protected rights of an aggrieved
113	113	individual. A prevailing party may recover punitive damages against
114	114	a governmental employee, officer, or entity for a violation of this
115	115	chapter. All defenses and immunities to such damages are waived in
116	116	an action brought against a governmental employee, officer, or
117	117	entity.
118	118	SECTION 8. Subchapter F, Chapter 21, Labor Code, is amended
119	119	by adding Section 21.263 to read as follows:
120	120	Sec. 21.263. OTHER CAUSES OF ACTION PERMITTED. A remedy
121	121	under this chapter is not exclusive and this chapter does not
122	122	preempt or otherwise bar a complainant from bringing any other
123	123	statutory or common law cause of action against any other person or
124	124	entity.
125	125	SECTION 9. The following provisions of the Labor Code are
126	126	repealed:
127	127	(1) Section 21.202(a-1);
128	128	(2) Section 21.252; and
129	129	(2) Sections 21.2585(d) and (e).
130	130	SECTION 10. This Act takes effect immediately if it
131	131	receives a vote of two-thirds of all members elected to each house,
132	132	as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
133	133	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
134	134	Act takes effect September 1, 2025.