OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES.

(a) Subject to the provisions of this chapter, the director may appoint, promote, reduce, suspend, or discharge any officer or employee of the department.

(b) Appointment or promotion of an officer or employee must be based on merit determined under commission rules that take into consideration the applicant's age and physical condition, if appropriate and to the extent allowed under federal law, and that take into consideration the applicant's experience and education. For promotions of commissioned officers, other than those positions covered under Section 411.0071, the department, with the advice and consent of the commission, shall establish processes to be consistently applied and based on merit. Each person who has an application on file for a position in the department for which an applicant must take an examination shall be given reasonable written notice of the time and place of those examinations.

(c) An applicant for a position in the department must be a United States citizen. An applicant may not be questioned regarding the applicant's political affiliation or religious faith or beliefs. The department may not prohibit an officer or employee of the department, while off duty and out of uniform, from placing a bumper sticker endorsing political activities or a candidate for political office on a personal vehicle, placing a campaign sign in the person's private yard, making a political contribution, or wearing a badge endorsing political activities or a candidate. An officer commissioned by the department may not be suspended, terminated, or subjected to any form of discrimination by the department because of the refusal of the officer to take a polygraph examination. Section 411.0074 does not authorize the department to require an officer commissioned by the department to take a polygraph examination.

(d) At least annually the heads of the divisions and bureaus, after due investigation, shall make a report to the director of the efficiency of each employee within the division or bureau. These reports shall be kept in the department's permanent files and shall be given proper consideration in all matters of promotion and discharge.

(e) An officer or employee of the department may not be discharged without just cause. The director shall determine whether an officer or employee is to be discharged. A commissioned officer ordered discharged may appeal to the commission, and during the appeal the officer shall be suspended without pay.

(e-1) Except as provided by Subsection (g), the department may not discharge, suspend, or demote a commissioned officer except for the violation of a specific commission rule. If the department discharges, suspends, or demotes the officer, the department shall deliver to the officer a written statement giving the reasons for the action taken. The written statement must point out each commission rule alleged to have been violated by the officer and must describe the alleged acts of the officer that the department contends are in violation of the commission rules.

(e-2) The commission shall establish necessary policies and procedures for the appointment, promotion, reduction, suspension, and discharge of all employees.

(f) A discharged commissioned officer is entitled, on application to the commission, to a public hearing before the commission, who shall affirm or set aside the discharge. The commission shall affirm or set aside a discharge on the basis of the evidence presented. If the commission affirms the discharge, the discharged officer may seek judicial review, not later than the 90th day after the date the commission affirms the discharge, in a district court under the substantial evidence standard of review, and the officer remains suspended without pay while the case is under judicial review.

(g) A noncommissioned employee inducted into the service of the department is on probation for the first one year of service, and an officer is on probation from the date the officer is inducted into the service of the department until the anniversary of the date the officer is commissioned. At any time during the probationary period, an officer or employee may be discharged if the director, with the advice and consent of the commission, finds the officer or employee to be unsuitable for the work.

(h) Subsections (e), (e-1), and (f) do not apply to a retired commissioned officer who is employed by the department as a commissioned officer.

(i) For purposes of Subsection (h), a "retired commissioned officer" means a retiree of the Employees Retirement System of Texas whose last employment position held before retirement under that system was as a commissioned officer of the department.