Tex. Health and Safety Code § 85.116
This is the official text of Tex. Health and Safety Code § 85.116, part of Texas’s Health and Safety Code — covers public health and safety regulation.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
§ 85.116. TESTING AND COUNSELING FOR STATE EMPLOYEES EXPOSED TO HIV INFECTION ON THE JOB.
Official statutory text
(a) On an employee's request, a state agency shall pay the costs of testing and counseling an employee of that agency concerning HIV infection if:
(1) the employee documents to the agency's satisfaction that the employee may have been exposed to HIV while performing duties of employment with that agency; and
(2) the employee was exposed to HIV in a manner that the United States Public Health Service has determined is capable of transmitting HIV.
(b) The executive commissioner by rule shall prescribe the criteria that constitute possible exposure to HIV under this section. The criteria must be based on activities the United States Public Health Service determines pose a risk of HIV infection.
(c) For the purpose of qualifying for workers' compensation or any other similar benefits or compensation, an employee who claims a possible work-related exposure to HIV infection must provide the employer with a written statement of the date and circumstances of the exposure and document that, within 10 days after the date of the exposure, the employee had a test result that indicated an absence of HIV infection.
(d) The cost of a state employee's testing and counseling shall be paid from funds appropriated for payment of workers' compensation benefits to state employees. The State Office of Risk Management shall adopt rules necessary to administer this subsection.
(e) Counseling or a test conducted under this section must conform to the model protocol on HIV counseling and testing prescribed by the department.
(f) A state employee who may have been exposed to HIV while performing duties of state employment may not be required to be tested.
(1) the employee documents to the agency's satisfaction that the employee may have been exposed to HIV while performing duties of employment with that agency; and
(2) the employee was exposed to HIV in a manner that the United States Public Health Service has determined is capable of transmitting HIV.
(b) The executive commissioner by rule shall prescribe the criteria that constitute possible exposure to HIV under this section. The criteria must be based on activities the United States Public Health Service determines pose a risk of HIV infection.
(c) For the purpose of qualifying for workers' compensation or any other similar benefits or compensation, an employee who claims a possible work-related exposure to HIV infection must provide the employer with a written statement of the date and circumstances of the exposure and document that, within 10 days after the date of the exposure, the employee had a test result that indicated an absence of HIV infection.
(d) The cost of a state employee's testing and counseling shall be paid from funds appropriated for payment of workers' compensation benefits to state employees. The State Office of Risk Management shall adopt rules necessary to administer this subsection.
(e) Counseling or a test conducted under this section must conform to the model protocol on HIV counseling and testing prescribed by the department.
(f) A state employee who may have been exposed to HIV while performing duties of state employment may not be required to be tested.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in Texas?
Find a Texas lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.