Texas law enforcement officers injured while traveling to or from work would be eligible to collect workers’ compensation benefits under legislation filed Tuesday.
House Bill 3335 would add “peace officers” to the list of other first responders who are allowed to apply for compensation benefits if they are injured during their work commute.
According to current law, emergency personnel covered by this travel provision in the Workers’ Compensation Act are firefighters and emergency medical personnel.
The law states that rescue workers are considered to be acting within the scope of their employment when they travel to work for the purpose of working for workers.
Texas statutes define “peace officers”
; to include sheriff’s deputies, constables, marshals, police officers, rangers, prosecutors and a variety of other law enforcement personnel.Texas remains the only state in the country that does not require private employers to carry workers’ comp insurance. However, the exception to the exemption are all public employees, such as those who work for cities, counties, state agencies and state universities.
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