BILL ANALYSIS



S.B. 988
By: Sibley (Maxey)
May 9, 1995
Committee Report (Unamended)


BACKGROUND

In 1989 the legislature authorized each state agency to establish
a sick leave pool to benefit employees who personally or whose
family members suffer a catastrophic illness or injury.  Employees
are permitted to donate up to 24 hours per fiscal year to a pool.

Many agencies find it difficult to maintain enough hours in their
pools to match employee requests.  Due to the 24-hour limit, those
employees interested in increasing their donations cannot do so. 
Similarly, employees retiring or leaving state service who wish to
donate leave balances to their pool cannot contribute more than 24
hours.

PURPOSE

As proposed, S.B. 988 authorizes state employees and retiring
employees to contribute accrued sick leave to the sick leave pool.

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 661.003, Government Code, by amending
Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (d), as follows:

     (b) Authorizes a state employee to contribute one or more,
     rather than being limited to three, days of the employee's
     accrued sick leave to a pool on approval by the pool
     administrator.
     
     (d) Authorizes a retiring employee to designate the number of
     the retiring employee's accrued sick leave hours to be used
     for retirement credit and the number of the retiring
     employee's accrued sick leave hours to be donated on
     retirement to the sick leave pool.
SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 1995.

SECTION 3. Emergency clause.

SUMMARY OF COMMITTEE ACTION

SB 988 was considered by the committee in a public hearing on May
9, 1995.  The Chair laid out SB 988.  The bill was reported
favorably without amendment with the recommendation that it do pass
and be printed, and be sent to the Committee on Local and Consent
Calendars, by a record vote of 13 ayes, 0 nays, 0 pnv, and 2
absent.