One bill by Rep. Erin Zwiener (D-Driftwood) addressing sexual harassment in the workplace has been voted out of committee, and others will be discussed today, her office said Monday. Zwiener also voted in recent days to support an amendment to the Texas Constitution to create a state-wide fund for flood mitigation.
Zwiener’s House Bill 2279 was passed unanimously by the House International Relations & Economic Development Committee Monday. It would require the Texas Workforce Commission to accept sexual harassment claims from companies of all sizes. Currently, companies with 14 or fewer employees are exempted from such claims.
“It is our duty to make sure protections, especially sexual harassment protections, extend to each and every Texas worker,” Zwiener said. “We know that sexual harassment can occur in any workplace regardless of the size of the company, yet current law does not property protect individuals at smaller companies. With this bill, we make sure that every Texan has access to a fair and transparent process, which both protects the rights of individual workers and helps small business work environments across Texas.
