By Naishtat, Greenberg                                H.B. No. 3134

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to contributions to retirement systems for firefighters in

 1-3     certain municipalities.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 10.01, Chapter 183, Acts of the 64th

 1-6     Legislature, Regular Session, 1975 (Article 6243e.1, Vernon's Texas

 1-7     Civil Statutes), is amended to read as follows:

 1-8           Sec. 10.01.  MUNICIPAL AND MEMBER CONTRIBUTIONS.  (a)  [Each

 1-9     month before October 1, 1994, each municipality in which a fire

1-10     department to which this Act applies is located shall appropriate

1-11     and contribute to the fund an amount equal to 14 percent, or a

1-12     higher percentage that the municipality authorizes, of the

1-13     compensation of all members during that month.]

1-14           [(b)  Each calendar month after September 30, 1994, and

1-15     before October 1, 1995, each municipality in which a fire

1-16     department to which this Act applies is located shall appropriate

1-17     and contribute to the fund an amount equal to 16.05 percent of the

1-18     compensation of all members during that month.]

1-19           [(c)]  Each [month after September 30, 1995, each]

1-20     municipality in which a fire department to which this Act applies

1-21     is located shall appropriate and contribute to the fund an amount

1-22     equal to 18.05 percent of the compensation of all members during

1-23     that month.

1-24           (b) [(d)]  Each firefighter shall pay into the fund each

 2-1     month 13.70 percent of the firefighter's compensation for that

 2-2     month.

 2-3           (c)  The governing body of each municipality may authorize

 2-4     the municipality to contribute a portion of the contribution

 2-5     required of each firefighter under this section.  In that event:

 2-6                 (1)  the municipality shall appropriate and contribute

 2-7     to the fund each month at the higher percentage of compensation

 2-8     necessary to make all contributions required and authorized to be

 2-9     made by the municipality under this section; and

2-10                 (2)  each firefighter's individual account with the

2-11     fund shall be credited each month as if the firefighter had made

2-12     the entire contribution required of that firefighter under Section

2-13     10.01(b).

2-14           (d) [(e)]  The governing body of each municipality may

2-15     authorize the municipality to make an additional contribution to

2-16     the fund in whatever amount the governing body may determine.  The

2-17     members of the fund, by a majority vote in favor of an increase in

2-18     contributions above 13.70 percent, may increase each firefighter's

2-19     contribution above 13.70 percent to any percentage recommended by a

2-20     majority vote of the board of trustees.

2-21           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect October 1, 1997.

2-22           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-23     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-24     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-25     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-26     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.