Source: https://www.animallaw.info/statute/tx-assistance-animals-assistance-animalguide-dog-laws
Timestamp: 2019-04-24 17:50:02+00:00

Document:
Vernon's Texas Statutes and Codes Annotated. Government Code. Title 6. Public Officers and Employees. Subtitle B. State Officers and Employees Chapter 661. Leave. Subchapter Z. Miscellaneous Leave Provisions for State Employees.
Vernon's Texas Statutes and Codes Annotated. Human Resources Code. Title 8. Rights and Responsibilities of Persons with Disabilities. Chapter 121. Participation in Social and Economic Activities.
Vernon's Texas Statutes and Codes Annotated. Penal Code. Title 9. Offenses Against Public Order and Decency. Chapter 42. Disorderly Conduct and Related Offenses.
(a) A state employee who is a person with a disability, as defined by Section 121.002, Human Resources Code, is entitled to a leave of absence without a deduction in salary for the purpose of attending a training program to acquaint the employee with an assistance dog to be used by the employee.
(b) The leave of absence provided by this section may not exceed 10 working days in a fiscal year.
Added by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 279, § 19, eff. Sept. 1, 1999.
(1) “Assistance animal” and “service animal” mean a canine that is specially trained or equipped to help a person with a disability and that is used by a person with a disability .
(B) places a person with a disability who is using an assistance animal, or a trainer who is training an assistance animal, in danger of injury.
(3) “Housing accommodations” means all or part of real property that is used or occupied or is intended, arranged, or designed to be used or occupied as the home, residence, or sleeping place of one or more human beings, except a single-family residence whose occupants rent, lease, or furnish for compensation only one room.
(H) any health impairment that requires special ambulatory devices or services.
(5) “Public facility ” includes a street, highway, sidewalk, walkway, common carrier, airplane, motor vehicle, railroad train, motor bus, streetcar, boat, or any other public conveyance or mode of transportation; a hotel, motel, or other place of lodging; a public building maintained by any unit or subdivision of government; a retail business, commercial establishment, or office building to which the general public is invited; a college dormitory or other educational facility; a restaurant or other place where food is offered for sale to the public; and any other place of public accommodation, amusement, convenience, or resort to which the general public or any classification of persons from the general public is regularly, normally, or customarily invited.
(6) “White cane” means a cane or walking stick that is metallic or white in color, or white tipped with a contrasting color, and that is carried by a blind person to assist the blind person in traveling from place to place.
Acts 1979, 66th Leg., p. 2425, ch. 842, art. 1, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1979. Amended by Acts 1981, 67th Leg., p. 3310, ch. 865, § 1, eff. Aug. 31, 1981; Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 278, § 1, eff. June 5, 1985; Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 890, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1995; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 649, § 3, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., ch. 838 (H.B. 489), § 2, eff. Jan. 1, 2014.
(a) Persons with disabilities have the same right as persons without disabilities to the full use and enjoyment of any public facility in the state.
(b) No common carrier, airplane, railroad train, motor bus, streetcar, boat, or other public conveyance or mode of transportation operating within the state may refuse to accept as a passenger a person with a disability because of the person's disability, nor may a person with a disability be required to pay an additional fare because of his or her use of a service animal, wheelchair, crutches, or other device used to assist a person with a disability in travel.
(3) provide auxiliary aids and services necessary to allow the full use and enjoyment of the public facility.
(e) Regulations relating to the use of public facilities by any designated class of persons from the general public may not prohibit the use of particular public facilities by persons with disabilities who, except for their disabilities or use of assistance animals or other devices for assistance in travel, would fall within the designated class.
(f) It is the policy of the state that persons with disabilities be employed by the state, by political subdivisions of the state, in the public schools, and in all other employment supported in whole or in part by public funds on the same terms and conditions as persons without disabilities, unless it is shown that there is no reasonable accommodation that would enable a person with a disability to perform the essential elements of a job.
(g) Persons with disabilities shall be entitled to full and equal access, as other members of the general public, to all housing accommodations offered for rent, lease, or compensation in this state, subject to the conditions and limitations established by law and applicable alike to all persons.
(h) A person with a total or partial disability who has or obtains a service animal is entitled to full and equal access to all housing accommodations provided for in this section, and may not be required to pay extra compensation or make a deposit for the animal but is liable for damages done to the premises by the animal except for reasonable wear and tear.
(j) A person may not assault, harass, interfere with, kill, or injure in any way, or attempt to assault, harass, interfere with, kill, or injure in any way, an assistance animal.
(k) Except as provided by Subsection (l), a person is not entitled to make demands or inquiries relating to the qualifications or certifications of a service animal for purposes of admittance to a public facility except to determine the basic type of assistance provided by the service animal to a person with a disability.
Acts 1979, 66th Leg., p. 2426, ch. 842, art. 1, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1979. Amended by Acts 1981, 67th Leg., p. 3310, ch. 865, § 2, eff. Aug. 31, 1981; Acts 1983, 68th Leg., 1st C.S., p. 57, ch. 7, § 10.03(c), eff. Sept. 23, 1983; Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 278, § 2, eff. June 5, 1985; Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 249, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1989; Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 890, § 2, eff. Sept. 1, 1995; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 649, § 4, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 261, § 1, eff. May 22, 2001; Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 710, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2003; Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., ch. 838 (H.B. 489), § 3, eff. Jan. 1, 2014; Acts 2015, 84th Leg., ch. 1 (S.B. 219), § 4.416, eff. April 2, 2015.
(2) 30 hours of community service to be performed for a governmental entity or nonprofit organization that primarily serves persons with visual impairments or other disabilities, or for another entity or organization at the discretion of the court, to be completed in not more than one year.
(b) In addition to the penalty provided in Subsection (a), a person, including a firm, association, corporation, or other public or private organization, or the agent of the person, who violates the provisions of Section 121.003 is deemed to have deprived a person with a disability of his or her civil liberties. Subject to Section 121.0041, if applicable, the person with a disability deprived of his or her civil liberties may maintain an action for damages in a court of competent jurisdiction, and there is a conclusive presumption of damages in the amount of at least $300 to the person with a disability.
Acts 1979, 66th Leg., p. 2427, ch. 842, art. 1, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1979. Amended by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 890, § 3, eff. Sept. 1, 1995; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 649, § 5, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., ch. 838 (H.B. 489), § 4, eff. Jan. 1, 2014; Acts 2017, 85th Leg., ch. 342 (H.B. 1463), § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2017.
(1) “Claimant” means a person filing or intending to file an action under Section 121.004(b).
(2) “Respondent” means the person against whom a claimant files or intends to file an action under Section 121.004(b).
(b) This section applies only to an action under Section 121.004(b) alleging a failure to comply with applicable design, construction, technical, or similar standards required under Chapter 469, Government Code, or other applicable state or federal laws that require compliance with specified design, construction, technical, or similar standards, including Internet website accessibility guidelines, to accommodate persons with disabilities.
(2) may not demand a sum of damages, request settlement, or offer to settle the claim without a determination of whether a condition stated in the notice is excused by law or may be remedied.
(d) A respondent who has received a written notice under Subsection (c) may correct the alleged violation before the earliest date on which the claimant may file the action.
(e) A respondent who has corrected an alleged violation shall provide a notice of the correction to the claimant that describes each correction and the manner in which the correction addresses the alleged violation. If the respondent concludes that an alleged violation has not occurred and that a correction is not necessary, the respondent shall provide the claimant an explanation of the respondent's conclusion. The notice of correction or explanation may be given in a manner prescribed for service of process in a civil action.
(f) If a claimant files an action to which this section applies, the claimant must establish by a preponderance of the evidence that the respondent has not corrected one or more of the alleged violations stated in the written notice provided under Subsection (c).
(3) the corrections will be completed by the end of the period of abatement.
(2) the respondent may file a motion for summary judgment in accordance with the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure.
Added by Acts 2017, 85th Leg., ch. 342 (H.B. 1463), § 2, eff. Sept. 1, 2017.
(a) A person with a disability who uses an assistance animal for assistance in travel is liable for any damages done to the premises or facilities by the animal.
(b) A person with a disability who uses an assistance animal for assistance in travel or auditory awareness shall keep the animal properly harnessed or leashed, and a person who is injured by the animal because of the failure of a person with a disability to properly harness or leash the animal is entitled to maintain a cause of action for damages in a court of competent jurisdiction under the same law applicable to other causes brought for the redress of injuries caused by animals.
Acts 1979, 66th Leg., p. 2427, ch. 842, art. 1, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1979. Amended by Acts 1981, 67th Leg., p. 3310, ch. 865, § 3, eff. Aug. 31, 1981; Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 278, § 3, eff. June 5, 1985; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 649, § 6, eff. Sept. 1, 1997.
(b) A person who habitually abuses or neglects to feed or otherwise neglects to properly care for his or her assistance animal is subject to seizure of the animal under Subchapter B, Chapter 821, [FN1] Health and Safety Code.
Acts 1979, 66th Leg., p. 2427, ch. 842, art. 1, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1979. Amended by Acts 1981, 67th Leg., p. 3311, ch. 865, § 4, eff. Aug. 31, 1981; Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 278, § 4, eff. June 5, 1985; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 649, § 7, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., ch. 838 (H.B. 489), § 5, eff. Jan. 1, 2014.
[FN1] V.T.C.A., Health and Safety Code § 821.021 et seq.
(a) To ensure maximum public awareness of the policies set forth in this chapter, the governor shall issue a proclamation each year taking suitable public notice of October 15 as White Cane Safety and Service Animal Recognition Day. The proclamation must contain appropriate comment about the significance of various devices and animals used by persons with disabilities to assist them in traveling, and must call to the attention of the public the provisions of this chapter and of other laws relating to the safety and well-being of this state's citizens with disabilities.
(b) The comptroller, the secretary of state, and other state agencies that regularly mail forms or information to significant numbers of public facilities and businesses operating within the state shall cooperate with state agencies responsible for the rehabilitation of persons with disabilities by sending information about this chapter to those to whom regular mailings are sent. The information, which must be sent at the request of state agencies responsible for the rehabilitation of persons with disabilities and at least once each year, may be included in regular mailings or sent separately. If sent separately, the cost of mailing is borne by the state rehabilitation agency or agencies requesting the mailing and, regardless of whether sent separately or as part of a regular mailing, the cost of preparing information about this chapter is borne by the state rehabilitation agency or agencies requesting distribution of this information.
Acts 1979, 66th Leg., p. 2428, ch. 842, art. 1, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1979. Amended by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 649, § 9, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., ch. 838 (H.B. 489), § 6, eff. Jan. 1, 2014.
Vernon's Texas Statutes and Codes Annotated. Transportation Code. Title 7. Vehicles and Traffic. Subtitle C. Rules of the Road. Chapter 552. Pedestrians.
(2) “White cane” has the meaning assigned by Section 121.002, Human Resources Code.
Acts 1979, 66th Leg., p. 2428, ch. 842, art. 1, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1979. Amended by Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 278, § 5, eff. June 5, 1985; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 649, § 8, eff. Sept. 1, 1997. Renumbered from V.T.C.A., Human Resources Code § 121.007 and amended by Acts 2009, 81st Leg., ch. 1272, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2009.
(2) "Custody" has the meaning assigned by Section 42. 09.
Added by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 979, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2001. Amended by Acts 2007, 80th Leg., ch. 1331, § 5, eff. Sept. 1, 2007.
(2) what type of work the service animal is trained to perform.
(6) calming a person who has post-traumatic stress disorder.
Added by Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., ch. 838 (H.B. 489), § 1, eff. Jan. 1, 2014.

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