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Read. Follow. Verify.Texas prohibits firing injured peace officers and firefighters before maximum medical improvement
Last action · April 8, 2025: Left pending in subcommitteeSponsor: Terry Canales
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What This Bill Proposed
Government employers in certain non-civil-service Texas jurisdictions are prohibited from discharging, indefinitely suspending, or terminating peace officers, detention officers, county jailers, or firefighters injured on the job before they reach , unless permanent work restrictions are certified. Effective September 1, 2025, violators face up to $100,000 in damages and mandatory reinstatement, with waived for these suits.
Injured first responders and detention personnel in uncovered jurisdictions gain statutory protection against job loss during recovery and the right to sue employers for up to $100,000 plus reinstatement if unlawfully terminated.
- Texas Government Code Chapter 614 contains provisions governing peace officers and fire fighters, and this bill adds specific restrictions on post-injury employment termination. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Peace officers, detention officers, county jailers, and firefighters
They gain protection against discharge during on-the-job injury recovery up to maximum medical improvement and the right to sue for reinstatement and damages up to $100,000 if terminated in violation.
Governmental employers in non-civil-service jurisdictions
They are restricted from terminating injured public safety and correctional personnel before maximum medical improvement and face statutory liability, waiver of sovereign immunity, and damages up to $100,000 for non-compliance.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which public employees are covered by this protection?
Can an injured officer still be fired if their injury is permanent?
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News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
7 actions- Apr 8, 2025HouseLeft pending in subcommittee
- Apr 8, 2025HouseTestimony taken/registration(s) recorded in subcommittee
- Apr 8, 2025HouseConsidered by s/c in public hearing
- Apr 8, 2025HouseScheduled for public hearing in s/c on . . .
- Mar 12, 2025HouseCommitteeReferred to s/c on Workforce by Speaker
- Mar 12, 2025HouseIntroducedRead first time
Show 1 earlier action
- Dec 18, 2024HouseIntroducedFiled
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Waiver of Sovereign Immunity for Employment Violations
The bill explicitly waives and abolishes sovereign immunity to suit and liability up to $100,000 for employers violating the restriction on discharging injured personnel.
Connected Entities
Sources
capitol.texas.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy45Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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