What it protects
A state or local government in Texas may not suspend, fire or take other adverse personnel action against a public employee who, in good faith, reports a violation of law by the employer or another public employee to an appropriate law enforcement authority. Cities, counties and their police departments are covered. A personnel action is anything that affects your pay, promotion, demotion, transfer, assignment or evaluation.
An appropriate law enforcement authority is a government body you believe in good faith can enforce the law you reported, or investigate or prosecute a crime. Alicia reported to the Travis County District Attorney’s Public Integrity Unit.
The deadlines
- Start your employer’s grievance or appeal process within 90 days of the action, or of when you discovered it. You have to start it before you can sue.
- Sue within 90 days of the action or its discovery. Time spent in the grievance process doesn’t count against those 90 days.
- If the grievance has no final decision by the 61st day, you choose: finish it and sue within 30 days after, or end it and sue within the time you have left.
The 90-day presumption
If the punishment came within 90 days of your report, the law presumes it was because of the report. Your employer can try to rebut that, or show it would have done the same thing for reasons unrelated to the report.
What you can recover
You can sue for an injunction, actual damages, court costs and attorney fees. If you were suspended or fired, you can also get your job back, lost wages and lost benefits and seniority. Damages for emotional harm and future losses are capped by the size of the employer, from $50,000 for the smallest to $250,000 for those with more than 500 employees. A supervisor who breaks the law can also face a civil penalty of up to $15,000.
Alicia’s case
Alicia sued the City of Pflugerville under this law in May 2021, after she and coworkers were written up a week after her report to the district attorney. The case settled at mediation for $75,000, with no admission by the city.
Sources and where to file
- Texas Government Code, Chapter 554 (Whistleblower Act)
- National Employment Lawyers Association: find a lawyer
This is general information, written from what Alicia lived through and what the law says. It isn’t legal advice. Laws and deadlines change; check with the agency or an employment lawyer. Checked October 18, 2026.