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House Bill 866 |
House Author: Davis, Yvonne |
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Effective: 9-1-07 |
Senate Sponsor: West, Royce |
House Bill 866 amends the Local Government Code to establish provisions for certain municipalities with a population of one million or more to negotiate with a meet and confer team representing all firefighter and police officer employee groups in the municipality regarding certain conditions of employment.
The bill sets out provisions for an election to resolve whether an association represents a majority of the covered personnel and provisions for the governing body of the municipality to recognize an association, or as an alternative, conduct an election to authorize the municipality to meet and confer with the association. The bill also sets out provisions for withdrawing recognition or repealing authorization to meet and confer and provides that an agreement between the municipality and the team must be ratified by an election of the members represented by the team.
House Bill 866 provides that the municipality may not be denied local control over matters relating to certain terms and conditions of employment or other personnel issues on which the municipality and the association agree. It prohibits firefighters and police officers from engaging in a strike or organized work stoppage against the state or a political subdivision of the state, and does not allow a municipality to meet and confer with a team that advocates the illegal right to strike by public employees. The bill provides that the municipality may not prevent automatic payroll deductions for dues paid to a firefighter or police officer employee group.