BWH H.B. 1294 75(R)BILL ANALYSIS COUNTY AFFAIRS H.B. 1294 By: Solomons 4-2-97 Committee Report (Unamended) BACKGROUND Current law requires that all County Commissioners must complete a minimum of 16 classroom hours of continuing education, except for a County Commissioner who: (1) serves in a county with a population of 1.5 million or more, (2) has served continuously for 12 years or more and (3) attends at least 15 hours of staff briefing on continuing education subjects in each 12 month period. There are opportunities for continuing education at annual county-related organizational conferences and at colleges and universities which would benefit commissioners in professional development. PURPOSE The intent of this bill is to allow an exception to the continuing education requirements for county commissioners. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 81.0025, Local Government Code by adding Subsection (f) which allows an exception to the continuing education requirements. Continuing education requirements would not apply to a county commissioner who serves in a county with a population of 250,000 or more, who has served continuously for 12 years or more, and who in a 12 month period completes at least three semester credit hours of graduate level course work in a field of study directly related to county government with a grade of B or higher in each course completed during the period. SECTION 2. Effective clause: September 1, 1998. SECTION 3. Emergency clause.