Enrolled Bill Summary

            House Bill 2677 amends the Local Government Code to authorize certain public employers in a municipality with a population of 1.9 million or more to meet and confer with a recognized employee association provided that the association does not advocate an illegal strike by public employees. The bill allows a public employer that chooses to meet and confer to recognize an association as the sole and exclusive bargaining agent for all covered employees other than department heads, firefighters, and police officers whose employment is covered by other provisions, provided the association submits a petition signed by a majority of the municipal employees it seeks to represent. The bill allows the association to petition for an election on the recognition of the association as sole and exclusive bargaining agent, and it includes provisions for the conduct of such elections. The bill also requires the municipality to designate a team to represent the public employer as its sole and exclusive bargaining agent.

            House Bill 2677 provides that a ratified agreement between a public employer and an association preempts any conflicting statute, executive order, local ordinance, or rule, and that it may not interfere with the right of a member of a bargaining unit to pursue certain allegations of discrimination. The bill allows voters in the municipality to call for the repeal of an agreement. If the governing body of the municipality does not repeal the agreement, the municipality is required to call a county election to determine whether to repeal the agreement.