BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	H.B. 792
87R1007 SMT-D	By: Burns; Holland (Birdwell)
	Local Government
	5/20/2021
	Engrossed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

Currently, a municipal police department's police dispatchers cannot work the same alternative work schedule as their police counterparts, for example 12-hour shifts. H.B. 792 seeks to provide police dispatchers employed by the police department of a municipality with a population of more than 10,000 the option to work these alternate schedules if a majority of the department's dispatchers vote in favor of an alternate work schedule.

H.B. 792 amends current law relating to the authority of certain municipalities to use an alternate work schedule for police dispatchers.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Section 142.0015, Local Government Code, by adding Subsection (k), as follows:

(k) Defines, for purposes of this subsection, "police dispatcher" to mean an operator or dispatcher employed by a municipal police department who provides communication support services for the police department by responding to requests for assistance. Authorizes the municipality, if a majority of police dispatchers for a municipal police department vote in favor of an alternate work schedule, to adopt an alternate work schedule for the department's dispatchers. Provides that a dispatcher working under an alternate work schedule adopted under this subsection is entitled to overtime pay if the dispatcher works more hours during a calendar month than the number of hours in the normal work month of the majority of the employees of the municipality other than fire fighters and police officers.

SECTION 2.� Effective date: September 1, 2021.