bill extends paid mental health leave past police

The text as introduced · 403 words

90R1865 MP-D

By: Cole
H.B. No. 1001

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to a mental health leave policy for certain public safety

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 PUBLIC SAFETY

EMPLOYEES [ PEACE OFFICERS AND TELECOMMUNICATORS ]. (a) In this

section , "public safety employee" means a peace officer, fire

fighter, detention officer, county jailer, or emergency medical

services employee of this state or a political subdivision of this

state. The term includes a person [ :

[ (1) "Law enforcement agency" means an agency of the

state or of a political subdivision of the state authorized by law

to employ peace officers.

[ (2) "Telecommunicator" means a person ] authorized to

act as a telecommunicator under Section 1701.405, Occupations Code ,

or a person acting in a similar capacity under Chapter 773, Health

and Safety Code .

(b) Each entity [ law enforcement agency, and each agency ] of

the state or of a political subdivision of the state that employs a

public safety employee [ full-time telecommunicator, ] shall develop

and adopt a policy allowing the use of mental health leave by the

public safety employees [ peace officers and full-time

telecommunicators, as applicable, ] employed by the entity [ agency ]

who 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 public safety employee

[ peace officer or telecommunicator ] is granted and may use mental

health leave;

(2) entitle a public safety 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 public safety employee [ peace officer or

telecommunicator ]; and

(4) detail the level of anonymity for a public safety

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 public

safety employees [ peace officers and telecommunicators ] in the area

of the [ law enforcement or ] employing entity [ agency ].

SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2027.