By Hirschi H.B. No. 1685
74R4923 PEP-F
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to filling vacancies in the positions of certain
1-3 firefighters and police officers.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. Section 143.085(a), Local Government Code, is
1-6 amended to read as follows:
1-7 (a) If a municipality's governing body adopts an ordinance
1-8 that vacates or abolishes a fire or police department position, the
1-9 fire fighter or police officer who holds that position shall be
1-10 demoted to the position immediately below the vacated or abolished
1-11 position. If one or more positions of equal rank are vacated or
1-12 abolished, the fire fighters or police officers who have the least
1-13 seniority in a position shall be demoted to the position
1-14 immediately below the vacated or abolished position. If a fire
1-15 fighter or police officer is demoted under this subsection without
1-16 charges being filed against the person for violation of civil
1-17 service rules, the fire fighter or police officer shall be placed
1-18 on a position reinstatement list in order of seniority. If the
1-19 vacated or abolished position is filled or re-created <within one
1-20 year after the date it was vacated or abolished>, the position must
1-21 be filled from the reinstatement list. Appointments from the
1-22 reinstatement list shall be made in order of seniority. A person
1-23 who is not on the list may not be appointed to the position <during
1-24 the one-year period> until the reinstatement list is exhausted.
2-1 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
2-2 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the
2-3 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-4 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-5 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-6 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.