BILL ANALYSIS


                                                     C.S.S.B. 527
                                                       By: Bivins
                                      Intergovernmental Relations
                                                          4-28-95
                                   Committee Report (Substituted)
BACKGROUND

Current law sets salary relations between state judges in order to
ensure that a pay hierarchy exists in pay scales between offices. 
While serving on special boards, some judges have begun to give
themselves car allowances paid from the special board budget.  In
some cases, the  allowance paid is in excess of the actual travel
expenses.  In effect, the car allowance does not count as
supplemental salary and as such the money paid amounts to a salary
increase.

PURPOSE

As proposed, C.S.S.B. 527 prohibits a commission from paying an
automobile allowance to certain officers of the state or a
political subdivision of the state; authorizes the commission to
reimburse automobile expenses.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

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

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Section 140.004, Local Government Code, as
follows:

     Sec. 140.004.  New heading:  BUDGETS OF CERTAIN JUVENILE
     BOARDS AND COMMUNITY SUPERVISION AND CORRECTIONS DEPARTMENTS. 
     (a)  Provides that this section applies only to a community
     supervision and corrections department, rather than an adult
     probation office, established for a judicial district, in
     addition to certain entities.
     
     (b) - (e)  Make conforming changes.
       
       (f)  Prohibits the budget for a juvenile board or community
       supervision and corrections department from including an
       automobile allowance for a member of the governing body of
       the board or department if the member holds another state,
       county, or municipal office.  Authorizes the budget to
       include reimbursement of actual travel expenses incurred
       while the member is engaged in the official business of the
       board or department.
       
       SECTION 2.   Amends Section 391.011, Local Government Code, by adding
Subsection (d), as follows:

     (d)  Prohibits a commission from expending funds for an
     automobile allowance for a member of the governing body of the
     commission if the member holds another state, county, or
     municipal office.  Authorizes funds to be expended for
     reimbursement of actual travel expenses incurred while the
     member is engaged in the official business of the commission.
SECTION 3. Effective date:  September 1, 1995.

SECTION 4. Emergency clause.