KLG C.S.H.B. 3513 75(R)BILL ANALYSIS


APPROPRIATIONS
C.S.H.B. 3513
By: Greenberg
4-11-97
Committee Report (Substituted)



BACKGROUND 

The State Auditor's Office administers the Texas Position Classification
Plan established under Chapter 654, Government Code.  The State Auditor
appoints the Classification Officer, subject to the advice and approval of
the Legislative Audit Committee.  The Classification Officer is required
to maintain and keep current the position classification plan, to advise
and assist state agencies in equitably and uniformly applying the plan, to
assist in human resource audits to ensure conformity with the plan, and to
make recommendations concerning the operation or improvement of the plan
to the Governor and the Legislature. 

PURPOSE

H.B. 3513 would amend the Position Classification Act to correspond with
the proposed revisions to Article IX of the General Appropriations Act.
Under these revisions, most state employees (excluding those at
institutions of higher education) would be covered under a new
three-schedule classification plan and would bring the Position
Classification Act into conformity with these changes. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to
any state officer, department, agency, or institution. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Section 654.011, Government Code.

Section 654.011(a) is amended to add hourly, part-time, and temporary
employments to the types of employments in state departments, agencies or
judicial entities that are subject to the position classification plan and
the salary rates and provisions in the General Appropriations Act. 

Section 654.011(a)(1)-(8) is amended to make changes to conform with the
list of articles in the General Appropriations Act by deleting executive
and administrative departments, welfare and rehabilitation agencies and
adding general government agencies, human service agencies, public safety
and criminal justice agencies, natural resources agencies, business and
economic development agencies, and regulatory agencies. 

Section 654.011(b) is amended to add hourly, part-time, and temporary
employments to the types of employments that the position classification
plan and the salary rates and provisions in the General Appropriations Act
apply. 

SECTION 2. Amends Section 654.012, Government Code.

Section 654.012 is amended to delete the term "research" to describe
personnel in state institutions of higher education that are exempt from
the position classification plan. Deletes medical doctors, hourly
employees, part-time employees and temporary employees from the exemption
to the position classification plan. 
 


SECTION 3. Amends Section 654.015, Government Code, to clarify that state
job descriptions are guidelines rather than requirements. 

SECTION 4.  Amends Section 654.033, Government Code, to reflect current
industry terminology from "personnel" to "human resources." 

SECTION 5. Amends Section 654.036, Government Code, to use more
appropriate terminology by changing "assist in personnel" audits to
"conduct classification compliance" audits. 

SECTION 6. Amends Section 654.038, Government Code, to change the title of
the Section from "PERSONNEL" audits to "CLASSIFICATION COMPLIANCE" audits
to reflect more appropriate terminology. 

Section 654.038(a) is amended to require the classification officer to
notify the Legislative Audit Committee, the governor and the comptroller
in addition to the chief executive of an agency when a classification
compliance audit reveals a nonconformity with the position classification
plan or with prescribed salary ranges.  Changes the term "personnel"  to
"classification compliance"  to describe audits in order to reflect more
appropriate terminology. 

Section 654.038(b)(1) is amended to replace the word "reassigning" with
"reclassifying" to reflect more appropriate terminology. 

Section 654.038(b)(2) is amended to replace the term "title or salary
rate" with "duties" and to replace the term "plan and salary range" to
"assigned class" to reflect more appropriate terminology. 

SECTION 7. Amends Section 654.040, Government Code, by amending subsection
(1) and deleting subsection (2) and renumbering the Section without
subsections. 

Section 654.040(1) is amended by replacing the term with "the advice of"
the Legislative Audit Committee to  "after consultation" with the
Legislative Audit Committee to clarify the relationship between the
governor and Legislative Audit Committee after a report of a nonconformity
with the position classification act is issued.  

Section 654.040(2) is deleted.

SECTION 8.  Section 654.041, Government Code, is not amended.

SECTION 9. Emergency clause.


COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE