TCJL SUPPORTS – Senator Kelly Hanock (R-North Richland Hills) and Rep. Tryon Lewis (R-Odessa) have introduced legislation to protect from discovery certain communications between an employee and a staff member of an employer’s ombudsman program. SB 399 and HB 1031 authorize an employer to establish an ombudsman program for the purpose of resolving complaints or concerns in an informal and expeditious manner. To qualify for the privilege of confidentiality under the bill, the program must be neutral, operate independently of the employer’s essential business, and maintain direct access to the employer’s senior management. An ombudsman program established under this provision may not conduct a formal investigation of the employer or receive notices of claims against the employer.
The privilege covers communications between an employee and a staff member, or one between staff members, made in connection with the informal and expeditious resolution of a concern or complaint. The privilege does not apply to information that is otherwise discoverable, the disclosure of information for research or educational purposes in connection with a training or educational component of the program (as long as the identity of the parties and specific issues are shielded), or the preparation of statistical summaries that show categories of issues as long as there are a sufficient number of categories to protect the confidentiality of parties and specific issues.
Rep. Tryon Lewis
Sen. Kelly Hancock
