Enrolled Bill Summary

            Senate Bill 1303 amends provisions of the Local Government Code relating to compensation for a county auditor, assistant auditor, court reporter, or sheriff department personnel. The bill specifies that a notice of a public hearing for setting compensation for a county auditor, assistant auditor, and court reporters must be posted not earlier than the 30th or later than the 10th day before the date of the hearing, rather than on or before the 15th day before the date of the hearing. The bill allows the amount of compensation and allowance of a county auditor in a county with a population of 500,000 or more to exceed that of the highest paid elected county officer other than a statutory county court judge if the compensation and allowances are approved by the commissioners court of the county.

            Senate Bill 1303 allows a county government in a county that has a population of more than 7,500, is located on an international boundary, and contains no incorporated territory of a municipality to classify all positions in its sheriff's department, specify the duties, and prescribe the salary for each classification, and it allows the qualified voters to petition the commissioners court of the county to increase the minimum salary of each member of the sheriff's department. The bill also allows the county government in such a county to provide longevity pay for each commissioned deputy of the sheriff's department of not less than $5 a month for each year of service in the department, up to and including 25 years.