By Carter                                             H.B. No. 2590
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to leave for peace officers for purposes of pursuing an
    1-3  education.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Chapter 142, Local Government Code, is amended by
    1-6  adding Section 142.011 to read as follows:
    1-7        Sec. 142.011.  EDUCATIONAL LEAVE.  (a)  On written
    1-8  application by a peace officer, a municipality may grant the peace
    1-9  officer a leave of absence for the peace officer to enroll in a
   1-10  college on a full-time basis to pursue an educational study plan
   1-11  related to law enforcement of public safety.
   1-12        (b)  A municipality may not adopt a policy that denies
   1-13  employee benefits, including health and life insurance plans,
   1-14  promotional seniority, and accumulation of retirement credit, to a
   1-15  peace officer on leave as provided by Subsection (a) if the peace
   1-16  officer pays both the peace officer's and the municipality's share
   1-17  of the cost of the benefits.
   1-18        SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1993.
   1-19        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
   1-20  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   1-21  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   1-22  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   1-23  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.