Bill Text: TX HB864 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to eligibility for unemployment compensation for employees who leave the workplace due to sexual harassment.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-03-01 - Referred to Business & Industry [HB864 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-HB864-Introduced.html
88R452 RDS-D | ||
By: Hernandez | H.B. No. 864 |
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relating to eligibility for unemployment compensation for | ||
employees who leave the workplace due to sexual harassment. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Section 207.046(a), Labor Code, is amended to | ||
read as follows: | ||
(a) An individual is not disqualified for benefits under | ||
this subchapter if: | ||
(1) the work-related reason for the individual's | ||
separation from employment was urgent, compelling, and necessary so | ||
as to make the separation involuntary; | ||
(2) the individual leaves the workplace to protect the | ||
individual from family violence or stalking or the individual or a | ||
member of the individual's immediate family from violence related | ||
to a sexual assault as evidenced by: | ||
(A) an active or recently issued protective order | ||
documenting sexual assault of the individual or a member of the | ||
individual's immediate family or family violence against, or the | ||
stalking of, the individual or the potential for family violence | ||
against, or the stalking of, the individual; | ||
(B) a police record documenting sexual assault of | ||
the individual or a member of the individual's immediate family or | ||
family violence against, or the stalking of, the individual; | ||
(C) a physician's statement or other medical | ||
documentation that describes the sexual assault of the individual | ||
or a member of the individual's immediate family or family violence | ||
against the individual that: | ||
(i) is recorded in any form or medium that | ||
identifies the individual or member of the individual's immediate | ||
family, as applicable, as the patient; and | ||
(ii) relates to the history, diagnosis, | ||
treatment, or prognosis of the patient; or | ||
(D) written documentation from a family violence | ||
center or rape crisis center that describes the sexual assault of | ||
the individual or a member of the individual's immediate family or | ||
family violence against the individual; | ||
(3) the individual leaves the workplace to care for | ||
the individual's terminally ill spouse as evidenced by a | ||
physician's statement or other medical documentation, but only if | ||
no reasonable, alternative care was available; [ |
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(4) the individual's separation from employment was | ||
caused by the individual being called to provide: | ||
(A) service in the uniformed services, as defined | ||
by 38 U.S.C. Section 4303; or | ||
(B) service in the Texas military forces, as | ||
defined by Section 437.001, Government Code; or | ||
(5) the individual leaves the workplace because of | ||
sexual harassment, but only if the individual: | ||
(A) reported the sexual harassment to: | ||
(i) the individual's employer; or | ||
(ii) a law enforcement agency; or | ||
(B) filed a sexual harassment complaint with the | ||
commission under Chapter 21 or with the federal Equal Employment | ||
Opportunity Commission. | ||
SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only | ||
to a claim for unemployment compensation benefits filed with the | ||
Texas Workforce Commission on or after the effective date of this | ||
Act. A claim filed before the effective date of this Act is | ||
governed by the law in effect on the date the claim was filed, and | ||
the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. | ||
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |