By Barrientos                                          S.B. No. 646
       74R4016 MJW-D
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to the appointment or employment of veterans by public
    1-3  agencies.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Sections 657.002(a) and (b), Government Code, are
    1-6  amended to read as follows:
    1-7        (a)  A veteran <or the widow or orphan of a veteran>
    1-8  qualifies for a veteran's employment preference if the veteran:
    1-9              (1)  <served in the military during:>
   1-10                    <(A)  the Spanish-American War;>
   1-11                    <(B)  the Philippine Insurrection;>
   1-12                    <(C)  the China Relief Expedition;>
   1-13                    <(D)  World War I;>
   1-14                    <(E)  World War II;>
   1-15                    <(F)  any other military conflict in which the
   1-16  United States was a participant before June 18, 1945;>
   1-17                    <(G)  the Korean War after June 24, 1950; or>
   1-18                    <(H)  the Vietnam conflict after July, 1953;>
   1-19              <(2)>  was honorably discharged from military service;
   1-20  and
   1-21              (2) <(3)>  is competent.
   1-22        (b)  This chapter does not apply to a veteran who<:>
   1-23              <(1)  was a conscientious objector at the time of the
   1-24  veteran's discharge from military service; or>
    2-1              <(2)>  is receiving or entitled to receive military
    2-2  retirement pay, other than disability retirement pay, from the
    2-3  United States.
    2-4        SECTION 2.  Chapter 657, Government Code, is amended by
    2-5  adding Section 657.007 to read as follows:
    2-6        Sec. 657.007.  REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.  (a)  A public entity
    2-7  shall file quarterly with the Texas Veterans Commission a report
    2-8  that states:
    2-9              (1)  the percentage of the total number of employees
   2-10  hired by the entity during the reporting period who are persons
   2-11  entitled to a preference under this chapter; and
   2-12              (2)  the percentage of the total number of the entity's
   2-13  employees who are persons entitled to a preference under this
   2-14  chapter.
   2-15        (b)  The Texas Veterans Commission shall file annually with
   2-16  the legislature a report that compiles and analyzes information
   2-17  that the commission receives from public entities under Subsection
   2-18  (a).
   2-19        SECTION 3.  To the extent possible using existing records,
   2-20  each public entity subject to Chapter 657, Government Code, shall
   2-21  compile and send to the Texas Veterans Commission not later than
   2-22  December 31, 1995, the initial report described by Section
   2-23  657.007(a) of that chapter, as added by Section 2 of this Act, for
   2-24  the quarterly period ending September 30, 1995, and shall file the
   2-25  second required report not later than March 31, 1996.  Based on
   2-26  information received on or before December 31, 1995, the Texas
   2-27  Veterans Commission shall file an initial report under that section
    3-1  not later than March 31, 1996.
    3-2        SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
    3-3        SECTION 5.  The importance of this legislation and the
    3-4  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    3-5  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
    3-6  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
    3-7  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.