Bill Text: TX HB3138 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to reporting of incidents of sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking on state property.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-04-17 - Left pending in committee [HB3138 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-HB3138-Introduced.html
86R13187 MTB-D | ||
By: Bowers | H.B. No. 3138 |
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relating to reporting of incidents of sexual harassment, sexual | ||
assault, dating violence, and stalking on state property. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Subtitle B, Title 4, Government Code, is amended | ||
by adding Chapter 424 to read as follows: | ||
CHAPTER 424. REPORTING OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT, SEXUAL ASSAULT, DATING | ||
VIOLENCE, AND STALKING ON STATE PROPERTY | ||
Sec. 424.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter: | ||
(1) "Dating violence" means abuse or violence, or a | ||
threat of abuse or violence, against a person with whom the actor | ||
has or has had a social relationship of a romantic or intimate | ||
nature. | ||
(2) "Department" means the Department of Public Safety | ||
of the State of Texas. | ||
(3) "Sexual assault" means sexual contact or | ||
intercourse with a person without the person's consent, including | ||
sexual contact or intercourse against the person's will or in a | ||
circumstance in which the person is incapable of consenting to the | ||
contact or intercourse. | ||
(4) "Sexual harassment" means unwelcome, sex-based | ||
verbal or physical conduct that: | ||
(A) in the employment context, unreasonably | ||
interferes with a person's work performance or creates an | ||
intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment; or | ||
(B) in the education context, is sufficiently | ||
severe, persistent, or pervasive that the conduct interferes with a | ||
student's ability to participate in or benefit from educational | ||
programs or activities at a postsecondary educational institution. | ||
(5) "Stalking" means a course of conduct directed at a | ||
person that would cause a reasonable person to fear for the person's | ||
safety or to suffer substantial emotional distress. | ||
Sec. 424.002. ONLINE REPORTING SYSTEM. (a) The department | ||
shall develop and establish or contract with a third party to | ||
develop and establish an online reporting system through which a | ||
person may report to the department an allegation of sexual | ||
harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, or stalking committed | ||
against or witnessed by the person on property owned or rented by | ||
the state. | ||
(b) The online reporting system must enable a person to | ||
report the alleged incident anonymously. | ||
(c) The department shall maintain information from reports | ||
under Subsection (a) on the department's generally accessible | ||
Internet website. The information on the website must be | ||
searchable by location, governmental entity, and type of incident. | ||
Sec. 424.003. RULES. The department shall adopt rules as | ||
necessary to implement and enforce this chapter. | ||
SECTION 2. Not later than January 1, 2020, the Department of | ||
Public Safety of the State of Texas shall develop and establish the | ||
online reporting system required under Section 424.002, Government | ||
Code, as added by this Act. | ||
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |