1-1     By:  Gallego (Senate Sponsor - West)                   H.B. No. 790

 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House May 5, 1997;

 1-3     May 6, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on State

 1-4     Affairs; May 18, 1997, reported favorably by the following vote:

 1-5     Yeas 13, Nays 0; May 18, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to payment of compensation to employees of the Department

 1-9     of Public Safety.

1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-11           SECTION 1.  Section 659.082, Government Code, is amended to

1-12     read as follows:

1-13           Sec. 659.082.  PAYMENT TWICE A MONTH.  An employee is

1-14     entitled to be paid employment compensation twice a month if:

1-15                 (1)  the employee is employed by:

1-16                       (A)  the Texas Department of Mental Health and

1-17     Mental Retardation;

1-18                       (B)  the Texas Department of Transportation;

1-19                       (C)  the Texas Department of Human Services;

1-20                       (D)  the Texas Workforce [Employment] Commission;

1-21                       (E)  the Department of Public Safety; or

1-22                       (F) [(E)]  any other state agency designated by

1-23     the comptroller;

1-24                 (2)  the employee holds a classified position under the

1-25     state's position classification plan;

1-26                 (3)  the employee's position is classified below salary

1-27     group 12 under the classification salary schedule in the General

1-28     Appropriations Act;

1-29                 (4)  the employing state agency satisfies the

1-30     comptroller's requirements relating to the payment of compensation

1-31     twice a month;  and

1-32                 (5)  at least 30 percent of the eligible employees of

1-33     the agency choose to be paid twice a month.

1-34           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997, and

1-35     applies only to the payment of compensation for a pay period that

1-36     begins on or after that date.

1-37           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-38     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-39     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-40     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-41     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

1-42                                  * * * * *