Texas

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Takeways

  • Texas is considering HB 2466, a statewide ban-the-box bill that would restrict when employers can ask about criminal history.
  • The bill applies to public employers and private employers with 15 or more employees, but excludes certain regulated positions.
  • If enacted, HB 2466 would take effect September 1, 2025, requiring updates to hiring policies and practices.

In March 2025, House Bill 2466 (HB 2466), also known as the “Ban the Box” law, was referred to the House Workforce Subcommittee. If passed and signed into law, HB 2466 would take effect September 1, 2025, and prohibit employers from asking about an applicant’s criminal history on initial job applications; instead covered employers would consider criminal history only after the applicant has been found to be “otherwise qualified” and has been given a conditional job offer or invited for an interview. Excepted from HB 2466 are positions for which consideration of criminal history record information is required by law—including law enforcement, healthcare, childcare, and financial services. HB 2466 applies to private employers with at least fifteen employees and public employers. The protections of HB 2466 would not extend to independent contractors, gig workers, or freelance labor.Continue Reading Texas Considers Statewide Ban-the-Box Law: What Employers Need to Know

UPDATE

Texas’s S.B. 1318 was signed into law. As a result, restrictive covenants entered into or renewed on or after September 1, 2025, for the following healthcare practitioners in Texas must comply with the new law:

  • Physicians;
  • Dentists;
  • Nurses; and
  • Physician assistants.

To comply with the law, new covenants related to the clinical practice must:

  1. provide for a buyout in an amount that is not greater than the practitioner’s total annual salary and wages at the time of termination of the practitioner’s contract or employment;
  2. expire not later than the one-year anniversary of the date the contract or employment has been terminated; and
  3. limit the geographical area subject to the covenant to no more than a five-mile radius from the location at which the health care practitioner primarily practiced before the contract or employment terminated.

These provisions must be clearly and conspicuously stated by using bold face type, capital letters, or contrasting colors so that a reasonable person would notice them.

Physician non-competes are subject to the additional provisions of the Act discussed below.

Takeaways

  • SB 1318 would expand non-compete limitations on physicians, dentists, nurses, and physician assistants.
  • Restrictive covenants would be limited to one year in duration and a five-mile geographic scope.
  • If enacted, the law would take effect September 1, 2025, and apply only to new or renewed agreements, prompting employers to review and revise their current contracts.

A significant proposal that would limit non-compete agreements for physicians, dentists, nurses, and physician assistants in Texas is headed to Governor Abbott’s desk. Senate Bill 1318 (SB 1318), authored by Senator Charles Schwertner seeks to balance employer protections with workforce mobility and patient care.

For healthcare employers, the legislation will require substantial changes to new non-compete contracts in Texas.Continue Reading UPDATED: Texas Reshapes Non-Competes for Healthcare Workers: What Employers Need to Know