1-1     By:  Naishtat, Greenberg                              H.B. No. 3134

 1-2          (Senate Sponsor - Barrientos)

 1-3           (In the Senate - Received from the House April 14, 1997;

 1-4     April 16, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on

 1-5     Intergovernmental Relations; May 8, 1997, reported favorably by the

 1-6     following vote:  Yeas 10, Nays 0; May 8, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-7                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-8                                   AN ACT

 1-9     relating to contributions to retirement systems for firefighters in

1-10     certain municipalities.

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

1-12           SECTION 1.  Section 10.01, Chapter 183, Acts of the 64th

1-13     Legislature, Regular Session, 1975 (Article 6243e.1, Vernon's Texas

1-14     Civil Statutes), is amended to read as follows:

1-15           Sec. 10.01.  MUNICIPAL AND MEMBER CONTRIBUTIONS.  (a)  [Each

1-16     month before October 1, 1994, each municipality in which a fire

1-17     department to which this Act applies is located shall appropriate

1-18     and contribute to the fund an amount equal to 14 percent, or a

1-19     higher percentage that the municipality authorizes, of the

1-20     compensation of all members during that month.]

1-21           [(b)  Each calendar month after September 30, 1994, and

1-22     before October 1, 1995, each municipality in which a fire

1-23     department to which this Act applies is located shall appropriate

1-24     and contribute to the fund an amount equal to 16.05 percent of the

1-25     compensation of all members during that month.]

1-26           [(c)]  Each [month after September 30, 1995, each]

1-27     municipality in which a fire department to which this Act applies

1-28     is located shall appropriate and contribute to the fund an amount

1-29     equal to 18.05 percent of the compensation of all members during

1-30     that month.

1-31           (b) [(d)]  Each firefighter shall pay into the fund each

1-32     month 13.70 percent of the firefighter's compensation for that

1-33     month.

1-34           (c)  The governing body of each municipality may authorize

1-35     the municipality to contribute a portion of the contribution

1-36     required of each firefighter under this section.  In that event:

1-37                 (1)  the municipality shall appropriate and contribute

1-38     to the fund each month at the higher percentage of compensation

1-39     necessary to make all contributions required and authorized to be

1-40     made by the municipality under this section; and

1-41                 (2)  each firefighter's individual account with the

1-42     fund shall be credited each month as if the firefighter had made

1-43     the entire contribution required of that firefighter under Section

1-44     10.01(b).

1-45           (d) [(e)]  The governing body of each municipality may

1-46     authorize the municipality to make an additional contribution to

1-47     the fund in whatever amount the governing body may determine.  The

1-48     members of the fund, by a majority vote in favor of an increase in

1-49     contributions above 13.70 percent, may increase each firefighter's

1-50     contribution above 13.70 percent to any percentage recommended by a

1-51     majority vote of the board of trustees.

1-52           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect October 1, 1997.

1-53           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-54     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-55     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-56     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-57     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

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