Legislative Changes Affecting Salary Administration, 88th Legislature

Changes to Leave Administration

Mental Health Leave for Telecommunicators

House Bill 1486 requires each agency that employs a full-time telecommunicator to develop and adopt a policy allowing full-time telecommunicators who experience a traumatic event in the scope of that employment to use mental health leave. This is an amendment to current law, enacted by the 87th legislature in Senate Bill 1359, requiring law enforcement agencies to develop and adopt a policy for peace officers who experience a traumatic event while on duty to use mental health leave.

Paid Parental Leave

Senate Bill 222 provides 40 days of paid leave following the birth of a child, and 20 days of paid leave following the adoption of a child, birth of a child via gestational surrogate, or birth of a child by the employee's spouse to be used during the employee’s period of FMLA leave. This paid leave may be used before the employee exhausts his or her own accrued vacation or sick leave.