1. (a) The director may employ staff necessary to carry out the director's powers and duties under this chapter. The director or the director's designee shall provide to office employees, as often as necessary, information regarding their qualification for employment under this chapter and their responsibilities under applicable laws relating to standards of conduct for state employees.
2. (b) The director or the director's designee shall develop an intraagency career ladder program that addresses opportunities for mobility and advancement for employees within the office. The program shall require intraagency posting of all positions concurrently with any public posting.
3. (c) The director or the director's designee shall develop a system of annual performance evaluations that are based on documented employee performance. All merit pay for office employees must be based on the system established under this subsection.

4. (d) The director or the director's designee shall prepare and maintain a written policy statement to assure implementation of a program of equal employment opportunity under which all personnel transactions are made without regard to race, color, disability, sex, religion, age, or national origin. The policy statement must include:

   1. (1) personnel policies, including policies relating to recruitment, evaluation, selection, appointment, training, and promotion of personnel that are in compliance with the requirements of Chapter 21, Labor Code;
   2. (2) a comprehensive analysis of the office workforce that meets federal and state guidelines;
   3. (3) procedures by which a determination can be made about the extent of underuse in the office workforce of all persons for whom federal or state guidelines encourage a more equitable balance; and
   4. (4) reasonable methods to appropriately address those areas of underuse.
5. (e) A policy statement prepared under Subsection (d) must cover an annual period, be updated annually and reviewed by the Texas Commission on Human Rights for compliance with Subsection (d)(1), and be filed with the governor's office.
6. (f) The governor's office shall deliver a biennial report to the legislature based on the information received under Subsection (e). The report may be made separately or as a part of other biennial reports made to the legislature.
7. (g) The director and the staff of the office working in Washington, D.C., may receive the same cost-of-living salary adjustment as is established for an employee of another state agency under Section 751.012(d).

Added by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 38, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1991.

Amended by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., 1st C.S., ch. 4, Sec. 8.01, eff. Aug. 22, 1991;

Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 306, Sec. 4, eff. Sept. 1, 1995.