By Hodge                                        H.B. No. 1923

      75R7948 ESH-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the compensation of fire fighters and police officers

 1-3     in certain municipalities.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 143.110, Local Government Code, is

 1-6     amended by adding Subsection (c) to read as follows:

 1-7           (c)  A municipality must increase the base salary for each

 1-8     classified position in the fire department and for each classified

 1-9     position in the police department whenever the salary for a current

1-10     or future member of the governing body of the municipality is

1-11     increased. The municipality must increase the base salary for each

1-12     of those classified positions by a percentage that is at least

1-13     equal to the percentage increase in salary for the position on the

1-14     governing body. The base salary increase for the classified

1-15     positions must take effect at the same time that the salary

1-16     increase for the position on the governing body takes effect.  This

1-17     subsection does not prohibit a municipality from also increasing

1-18     the base salary for a classified position in a greater amount or at

1-19     a different time than required by this subsection or in response to

1-20     a different event.

1-21           SECTION 2.  (a)  This section applies only to a municipality

1-22     with a population of 1.5 million or more.

1-23           (b)  On the effective date of this Act, the municipality

1-24     shall increase the base salary for each classified position in the

 2-1     fire department and for each classified position in the police

 2-2     department in an amount equal to 7.5 percent of the position's base

 2-3     salary on August 31, 1997. Each person holding one of those

 2-4     positions is entitled to receive the increased salary beginning

 2-5     with the first full pay period that begins on or after September 1,

 2-6     1997.

 2-7           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

 2-8           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

 2-9     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-10     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-11     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-12     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.