HB 318, recently passed by the Texas House and currently being considered by the Senate Business & Commerce committee, would make it unlawful for an employer to request social media passwords and user names from employees or job applicants. 

Under the bill, employees and job applicants may be able to sue Texas employers for requesting their social media information.  The bill currently does not include an exception for social media accounts accessed by the employee using employer-owned or provided electronic devices.  HB318 seems to follow a recent national trend of prohibiting employers from using employee’s social media information.  In late May Oregon became the tenth state to enact similar employer restrictions on social media information. 

A copy of HB318 can be found here.