By:  Ellis                                            S.B. No. 1592
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
                                        AN ACT
    1-1  relating to airport police officers and commissioned peace officers
    1-2  of a city or political subdivision of this state.
    1-3        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-4        SECTION 1.  Title 3A, Revised Statutes, is amended by adding
    1-5  Articles 46g-1 and 46g-2 to read as follows:
    1-6        Art. 46g-1  AIRPORT SECURITY PERSONNEL IN A POLITICAL
    1-7  SUBDIVISION OR CITY WITH A POPULATION OF LESS THAN 900,000
    1-8        Sec. 1.  The governing body of a political subdivision of
    1-9  this state with a population of less than 900,000 that operates an
   1-10  airport may establish an airport security force and employ airport
   1-11  security personnel or police personnel.
   1-12        Sec. 2.  A governing body may commission an employee of an
   1-13  airport security force established under this article as a police
   1-14  officer provided the person is certified as qualified to be a peace
   1-15  officer by the Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and
   1-16  Education.
   1-17        Sec. 3.  A person commissioned as a peace officer under this
   1-18  article shall give an oath and a bond for the faithful performance
   1-19  of the person's duties as required by the governing body.  The bond
   1-20  shall be approved by the governing body and made payable to the
   1-21  political subdivision that operates the airport and shall be filed
   1-22  with the governing body.
   1-23        Sec. 4.  Any peace officer commissioned under this article
    2-1  shall be vested with all the rights, privileges, obligations, and
    2-2  duties of any other peace officer in this state while the officer
    2-3  is on the property under the control of the airport or in the
    2-4  actual course and scope of the officer's employment.
    2-5        Art. 46g-2  POLICE PERSONNEL IN A CITY WITH A POPULATION OF
    2-6  900,000 OR MORE; EMPLOYMENT
    2-7        Sec. 1.  The governing body of a municipality of this state
    2-8  with a population of 900,000 or more that operates an airport which
    2-9  handles commercial aircraft that seat 61 passengers or more shall
   2-10  establish and employ police officers and support personnel in the
   2-11  airport division of the municipality's police department.
   2-12        Sec. 2.  A governing body shall commission each police
   2-13  officer employed in an airport division of that city's police
   2-14  department provided they are certified as qualified to be a peace
   2-15  officer by the Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and
   2-16  Education.
   2-17        Sec. 3.  Any police officer commissioned under this article
   2-18  shall be vested with all the rights, privileges, obligations, equal
   2-19  benefits, and duties of any police officer employed by the city's
   2-20  police department.
   2-21        Sec. 4.  A police officer transferred from any municipal
   2-22  department of a city to the police department of the same city
   2-23  shall be transferred as a police officer in the Uniform Class
   2-24  (Class "A") into the police department as a Uniform Class (Class
   2-25  "A") police officer.
    3-1        Sec. 5.  Each police officer transferred from any municipal
    3-2  department of a city to the police department of the same city
    3-3  shall have all accrued benefits retroactive from the police
    3-4  officer's original hire date, such as longevity, seniority, rank,
    3-5  salary, sick leave, vacation leave, and compensatory time,
    3-6  transferred to the city police department and maintained at the
    3-7  current rate utilized by the city police department.
    3-8        Sec. 6.  Each police officer transferred from any municipal
    3-9  department of a city to the police department of the same city
   3-10  shall have all accrued pension benefits, retroactive to the
   3-11  employee's original hire date as a municipal employee, mandatorily
   3-12  transferred and converted from the Municipal Pension System to the
   3-13  Police Pension System at the current rate utilized by the Police
   3-14  Pension System.
   3-15        SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the
   3-16  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   3-17  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   3-18  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   3-19  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
   3-20  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
   3-21  passage, and it is so enacted.