The Texas Antidiscrimination Act aims to eliminate discriminatory practices by governmental entities and their vendors, reinforcing equality as outlined in the Texas Constitution. It defines "discriminatory activity" to include practices such as hiring based on race or sex, differential treatment, and unregulated training referencing race or ethnicity. The Act prohibits governmental entities from engaging in these activities, maintaining discriminatory offices, or providing preferential treatment based on immutable characteristics. It also requires these entities to adopt policies for disciplining employees who violate these provisions and establishes a complaint mechanism for residents to report violations to the attorney general.

The bill introduces amendments to the Government Code, focusing on compliance and accountability for political subdivisions and state agencies. It mandates that if a county is deemed noncompliant, the comptroller must withhold payments owed to that county, placing those funds in a trust fund for authorized purposes. Additionally, governmental entities are prohibited from contracting with vendors that engage in discriminatory activities, requiring vendors to verify compliance. If a contract is terminated due to a vendor's violation, the entity cannot re-contract with them unless the violation is remedied and authorized by the attorney general. The bill also requires state agencies to appoint internal auditors and report on compliance, with provisions applying only to new contracts initiated after the bill's effective date.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Subchapter Z, Chapter , Government Code 621.002 (Subchapter Z, Chapter , Government Code 621)
House Committee Report: (Subchapter Z, Chapter , Government Code 621)