BILL ANALYSIS


                                                         S.B. 579
                                                    By: Wentworth
                                      Intergovernmental Relations
                                                          3-23-95
                                     Committee Report (Unamended)
BACKGROUND

Section 158.038(b), Local Government Code, provides for Civil
Service Systems in sheriffs' officers in counties with populations
of 2,000,000 or less.  The law provides due process job security
for career employees while providing adequate flexibility to
sheriffs to fulfill electoral mandates.  One of the important
powers left to sheriffs is the right to install or to remove
personal appointees as heads of the principal divisions and
functional areas within sheriffs' offices.  Currently, the law
limits sheriffs to 10 employee positions for exempt appointments. 
Due to the growth of sheriffs' offices, however, 10 exempt
positions no longer adequately provide personally appointed heads
to each principal division and functional area within the sheriffs'
offices.

PURPOSE

As proposed, S.B. 579 provides for a percentage of the staff of the
agency or 10 positions, whichever is greater, to be potentially
exempt from civil service restrictions.

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 158.038(b), Local Government Code, as
follows:

     (b)  Prohibits a sheriff of a county with a population of
     2,000,000 or less from designating as exempt from the civil
     service system a number of positions that exceeds the greater
     of 1.5 percent of the total number of full-time employees of
     the department, or 10.
     
     SECTION 2.     Emergency clause.
           Effective date:  90 days after adjournment.