The Ombuds Blog: Texas Introduces Ombuds Shield Law

March 20, 2007

Texas Introduces Ombuds Shield Law

IOA has announced its support of an ombuds shield law introduced in the Texas State House. Introduced by Representative Patrick Rose, HB 3578 provides a privilege for organizational ombuds in all sectors. (A competing Senate proposal, SB 160, excludes public sector ombuds programs and is not endorsed by IOA.) It is expected that HB 3578 will be assigned to a committee within the next couple of days and will be calendared for hearing within the next two to three weeks. Although a small minority of the bills introduced in Texas are ever passed, this nonetheless may be a significant development for the profession. (Texas Legislature Online: HB 3578; SB 160.)

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Organizational Ombuds

Organizational Ombuds serve as a confidential, independent, neutral and informal dispute resolution resource for a specific entity. They are accessible to a defined population and can advocate for fairness. These unique characteristics distinguish Organizational Ombuds from Classical Ombuds, mediators, arbitrators, and other alternative dispute resolution professionals. The term "Ombuds" is shorthand for "Ombudsman," "Ombudsperson" and "Ombuds Officer," which also are used widely.

Some other variants include:

Austria -- Ombudsstelle

Brazil -- Ouvidor

Croatia -- pravobranitelji

France -- médiateur/defénseur

Germany -- Ombudspersonen

Italy -- difensore

Netherlands -- ombudspersoon

Norway -- ombudet

Poland -- Rzecznik

Portugal -- provedor

Russia -- омбудсмен

Spain -- ombudsman organizacional

Sweden -- studentombud

Switzerland -- ombudsmann

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March 20, 2007

Texas Introduces Ombuds Shield Law

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