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89(R) HB 4175 - Introduced version - Bill Text
89R12611 JBD-D
By: Lopez of Bexar
H.B. No. 4175
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the adoption of a mental health leave policy for certain
qualified employees.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 614.015, Government Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 614.015. MENTAL HEALTH LEAVE FOR
QUALIFIED EMPLOYEES
OF CERTAIN AGENCIES
[
PEACE OFFICERS AND TELECOMMUNICATORS
]. (a)
In this section:
(1)
"Jailer" means:
(A)
a county jailer as defined by Section
1701.001, Occupations Code; or
(B)
an employee of the Texas Department of
Criminal Justice who performs a security, custodial, or supervisory
function over the admittance, confinement, or discharge of
prisoners.
(2)
"Peace officer" means an individual described by
Article 2A.001, Code of Criminal Procedure.
(3) "Qualified agency"
[
"Law enforcement agency"
]
means an agency of the state or of a political subdivision of the
state authorized [
by law
] to employ
a
peace
officer, including the
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
[
officers
].
(4) "Qualified employee" means:
(A) a peace officer;
(B) a jailer;
(C) a telecommunicator; or
(D) a parole officer.
(5)
[
(2)
] "Telecommunicator" means a person
authorized to act as a telecommunicator under Section 1701.405,
Occupations Code.
(b) Each
qualified agency
[
law enforcement agency, and each
agency of the state or of a political subdivision of the state
] that
employs
a qualified employee
[
a full-time telecommunicator,
] shall
develop and adopt a policy allowing the use of mental health leave
by the
qualified employee
[
peace officers and full-time
telecommunicators, as applicable, employed by the agency
] who
experiences
[
experience
] a traumatic event in the scope of that
employment.
(c) A mental health leave policy adopted under this section
must:
(1) provide clear and objective guidelines
establishing the circumstances under which a
qualified employee
[
peace officer or telecommunicator
] is granted and may use mental
health leave;
(2) entitle a
qualified employee
[
peace officer or
telecommunicator
] to mental health leave without a deduction in
salary or other compensation;
(3) enumerate the number of mental health leave days
available to a
qualified employee
[
peace officer or
telecommunicator
]; and
(4) detail the level of anonymity for a
qualified
employee
[
peace officer or telecommunicator
] who takes mental
health leave.
(d) A mental health leave policy adopted under this section
may provide a list of mental health services available to
a
qualified employee
[
peace officers and telecommunicators in the
area of the law enforcement or employing agency
].
SECTION 2. As soon as practicable after the effective date
of this Act, each agency required to adopt a mental health leave
policy under Section 614.015, Government Code, as amended by this
Act, shall adopt a mental health leave policy as prescribed by that
section.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.