Texas Legislature Passes Remote Work Bill

Lawmakers in Texas passed a bipartisan bill that would allow state agencies to determine their remote work policies.

The bill was introduced by Republican State Rep. Giovanni Capriglione. If signed into law, the bill would allow state agencies to set remote work policies, and also provide guardrails to manage employee productivity.

The bill challenges an executive order issued by Texas Governor Greg Abbot earlier this year.

State agency employees had until the end of March to return to the office.

At the time, the governor’s press secretary, Andrew Mahaleris, said, “Texans expect their public servants to be present and engaged in the work on their behalf. With remote federal workers returning to the office where possible, it’s important that state agencies ensure they do the same.”

At the time, state employees and union leaders did not agree with the governor’s return to office mandate.

The state of Texas employs almost 141,000 workers across 114 agencies.

Due to “overwhelming bipartisan support,” many expect the bill to be signed into law.