Wednesday, July 21, 2021 Texas courts generally look to federal courts’ interpretation of federal anti-discrimination laws to assist in interpreting the anti-discrimination provisions of the Texas Commission on Human Rights Act (TCHRA). However, the provisions of the TCHRA do not always exactly mirror the language of parallel federal anti-discrimination laws. The Texas Supreme Court recently examined such differences in interpreting the scope of the anti-retaliation provisions of the TCHRA. In Texas Department of Transportation v. Lara, the Texas Supreme Court examined whether a request for a reasonable accommodation constituted opposition to a discriminatory practice so as to invoke the protections of the anti-retaliation provisions of the TCHRA. Albert Lara, Jr. was a long-term employee of the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT). In the spring of 2015, Lara underwent intestinal surgery. Following his release from the hospital, TXDOT approved Lara’s request for unpaid leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act. Lara requested leave extensions on two additional occasions. TXDOT granted the first extension through July 20, 2015. On July 15, Lara requested a second extension to October 21, 2015. TXDOT granted leave through September 16, which would exhaust the maximum available leave to him. TXDOT later notified Lara that “he would be ‘administratively separated’ from the agency effective September 16 so that the agency could hire a full-time employee to perform his job duties.”