(a) Pursuant to Texas Government Code Chapter 655 (regarding Merit Selection Principles), the following principles will be effective if the Board becomes required by federal law or regulation to use a merit system of personnel administration for the Board or for a program administered under the Board.     
      (b) The Board shall establish policies and procedures to ensure compliance with the federal requirements; and the recruitment, selection, and advancement of highly competent Board personnel.     
      (c) The Board shall ensure that it:      
        (1) recruits, selects, and promotes its employees according to the relative abilities, knowledge, and skills of the applicants or employees;       
        (2) provides equitable and adequate compensation to an employee;       
        (3) provides any employee training necessary to ensure performance of a high quality;       
        (4) uses the adequacy of an employee's job performance to determine whether the employee will be retained;       
        (5) treats a job applicant or employee fairly in all aspects of personnel administration;       
        (6) complies fully with state and federal equal opportunity and nondiscrimination laws;       
        (7) protects an employee against coercion for partisan political purposes and prohibits the employee from using employment status to interfere with or affect the result of an election or nomination for office; and       
        (8) implements any additional merit principles required by federal law or regulation.       
     Source Note:        The provisions of this §82.2 adopted to be effective September 13, 2015, 40 TexReg 5788; transferred effective November 1, 2018, as published in the Texas Register October 19, 2018, 43 TexReg 6963