BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 2542

By: Raymond

County Affairs

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Currently, only the commissioners court of a county with a population of 355,000 or more may adopt and enforce uniform rules on the hours of work of county employees whose compensation is set or approved by the court. However, a county with a population of 190,000 or more may create a county civil service system that includes all applicable county employees. To ensure uniformity in the application of rules to all classes of employees under a county civil service system in a county with a population of less than 355,000, it is necessary to bridge this population gap. C.S.H.B. 2542 seeks to address this issue by authorizing the commissioners court of a county covered by a county civil service system to adopt and enforce uniform rules on the hours of work of applicable employees.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 2542 amends the Local Government Code to authorize the commissioners court of a county covered by a county civil service system to adopt and enforce uniform rules on the hours of work of department heads, assistants, deputies, and other employees whose compensation is set or approved by the court, other than employees of a sheriff's or constable's office in  a county covered by a county civil service system or a sheriff's department civil service system with a population of less than 355,000.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2023.

COMPARISON OF INTRODUCED AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 2542 may differ from the introduced in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

The substitute includes an exemption, absent in the introduced, from the uniform rules on the hours of work for employees of a sheriff's or constable's office in a county covered by a county civil service system or a sheriff's department civil service system with a population of less than 355,000.