Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB2704 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R15912 CXP-D
2	2	By: Creighton S.B. No. 2704
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the requirement that certain state employees conduct
10	10	agency business only at the employee's regular place of employment.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Section 658.010, Government Code, is amended to
13	13	read as follows:
14	14	Sec. 658.010. PLACE WHERE WORK PERFORMED. (a) This section
15	15	does not apply to the Supreme Court of Texas, the Texas Court of
16	16	Criminal Appeals, a court of appeals, or another agency in the
17	17	judicial branch.
18	18	(b) Except as provided by Subsection (d), an [An] employee
19	19	of a state agency shall[, during normal office hours,] conduct
20	20	agency business only at the employee's regular [or assigned
21	21	temporary] place of employment [unless the employee:
22	22	[(1) is travelling; or
23	23	[(2) received prior written authorization from the
24	24	administrative head of the employing state agency to perform work
25	25	elsewhere].
26	26	(c) A state agency may not implement, maintain, or authorize
27	27	a permanent policy that allows an agency employee to conduct agency
28	28	business at a place other than the employee's regular place of
29	29	employment except as provided by this section or specifically
30	30	authorized by other law.
31	31	(d) A state agency may authorize an agency employee to
32	32	conduct agency business at a place other than the employee's
33	33	regular place of employment only if:
34	34	(1) the administrative head of the agency approves the
35	35	authorization in writing; and
36	36	(2) at least one of the following applies:
37	37	(A) the governor has declared a state of disaster
38	38	under Chapter 418;
39	39	(B) the employee is on approved medical leave or
40	40	has a documented disability that requires a reasonable
41	41	accommodation to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of
42	42	1990 (42 U.S.C. Section 12101 et seq.);
43	43	(C) the employee's primary job responsibilities
44	44	require frequent travel to or work at locations other than the
45	45	employee's regular place of employment;
46	46	(D) the employee performs work or provides
47	47	services that require the employee to work at a location other than
48	48	the employee's regular place of employment in order to:
49	49	(i) respond to a cybersecurity threat; or
50	50	(ii) conduct essential maintenance of
51	51	information technology equipment; or
52	52	(E) the authorization is approved by the office
53	53	of the governor.
54	54	(e) A state agency shall report any authorization provided
55	55	under Subsection (d) to the state auditor's office as soon as
56	56	practicable after the authorization is provided.
57	57	(f) [(b)] The employee's personal residence may not be
58	58	considered the employee's regular [or assigned temporary] place of
59	59	employment [without prior written authorization from the
60	60	administrative head of the employing state agency].
61	61	(g) Not later than October 1 of each year, each state agency
62	62	shall submit a written report to the state auditor's office that
63	63	includes documentation of:
64	64	(1) agency employee attendance and adherence to the
65	65	requirements of this section;
66	66	(2) each authorization provided under Subsection (d);
67	67	and
68	68	(3) any corrective measures taken by the agency to
69	69	address noncompliance with the requirements of this section.
70	70	SECTION 2. Each state agency to which Section 658.010,
71	71	Government Code, as amended by this Act, applies shall submit the
72	72	initial report required by that section not later than October 1,
73	73	2026.
74	74	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect October 1, 2025.