BILL ANALYSIS C.S.S.B. 970 By: Ellis Intergovernmental Relations 4-20-95 Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND The current grievance procedure imposed upon Harris County in 1987 has not been honored by some of the elected officials in Harris County. PURPOSE As proposed, C.S.S.B. 970 sets forth certain grievance procedures for county employees. 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 160.002, Local Government Code, as follows: Sec. 160.002. COUNTIES AND EMPLOYEES AFFECTED. Provides that this chapter applies only to a county with a population of more than 2.4 million and its employees, including, among others, employees of community supervision and corrections departments, a district attorney, a district clerk, a commissioners court, a county tax assessor-collector, a county clerk, a statutory county court, and justices of the peace, and any other county employee who is not covered by a county civil service system. SECTION 2. Amends Section 160.003, Local Government Code, to redefine "grievance." SECTION 3. Amends Section 160.005, Local Government Code, as follows: Sec. 160.005. STANDARDIZED GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE. (a) Requires the commissioners court of the county to enact orders to provide for the annual appointment of one or more county grievance resolution committees and reasonable leave with pay for an employee for the presentation of grievances and a representative of the aggrieved employee or a witness to attend a grievance proceeding. Deletes existing Subdivisions (3)-(7). (b) Deletes provisions requiring the orders and procedures to provide for reasonable timetables for filing and responding to grievances. (c) Authorizes an employee to be represented by another person, including another employee, at any stage of a proceeding under this section. (d) Requires the committee to render, by majority vote, a decision on the matter and notify the employee at the conclusion of the hearing. Requires the committee to issue a written report discussing the evidence in the case and the reasons for the decision. (e) Requires each employer subject to this chapter to provide its employees with written notice of the rights of an employee under this chapter. Requires the notice to include the name and telephone number of any union that represents county employees. (f) Requires the commissioners court, by order, to require any action taken with respect to a complaint filed under this section to be evidenced by a written document. SECTION 4. Makes application of this Act prospective. SECTION 5. Effective date: September 1, 1995. SECTION 6. Emergency clause.