1-1     By:  Hamric (Senate Sponsor - Galloway)                H.B. No. 707

 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House April 14, 1997;

 1-3     April 16, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on

 1-4     Intergovernmental Relations; April 24, 1997, reported favorably by

 1-5     the following vote:  Yeas 10, Nays 0; April 24, 1997, sent to

 1-6     printer.)

 1-7                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-8                                   AN ACT

 1-9     relating to payroll deductions for insurance premiums paid by

1-10     certain county employees.

1-11           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-12           SECTION 1.  Section 155.062, Local Government Code, is

1-13     amended to read as follows:

1-14           Sec. 155.062.  REQUEST FOR DEDUCTION.  (a)  A request for an

1-15     insurance deduction must:

1-16                 (1)  [be in writing;]

1-17                 [(2)]  be submitted to the county officer authorized by

1-18     the commissioners court to administer payroll deductions; and

1-19                 (2) [(3)]  state the amount to be deducted and the

1-20     entity to which the amount is to be transferred.

1-21           (b)  A request remains in effect until the county officer

1-22     authorized to administer the insurance deductions receives a

1-23     [written] notice of change [revocation signed by the official or

1-24     employee].

1-25           (c)  An insurance deduction may not exceed the amount stated

1-26     in the request plus the amount of any change in applicable

1-27     insurance premiums imposed after the date the request for deduction

1-28     is submitted.

1-29           (d)  If the amount of an applicable insurance premium is

1-30     changed after the date the request for deduction is submitted, the

1-31     county officer authorized to administer insurance deductions shall

1-32     provide written notice of the change to each affected employee.

1-33     The notice must be provided before the change takes effect.

1-34           SECTION 2.  (a)  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-35           (b)  The change in law made by this Act applies to a request

1-36     for an insurance deduction under Section 155.062, Local Government

1-37     Code, that is submitted before, on, or after the effective date of

1-38     this Act.

1-39           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-40     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-41     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-42     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-43     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

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