Amend HB 1896 (house committee report) by striking all below the enacting clause and substituting the following:

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[:\r\n

[(1)\r\n  \r\n  \r\n "Law enforcement agency" means an agency of the state or of a political subdivision of the state authorized by law to employ peace officers.\r\n

[(2)\r\n  \r\n  \r\n "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, 2025.