By Bivins                                        S.B. No. 528

      75R1945 GCH-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the administration of retirement systems for paid or

 1-3     partly paid firefighters.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 7f, Texas Local Fire Fighters Retirement

 1-6     Act (Article 6243e, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), is amended to

 1-7     read as follows:

 1-8           (f)  The effective date of a change or addition adopted under

 1-9     this section is a date specified by the board of trustees that is

1-10     not earlier than the date of adoption by the board.  A change or

1-11     addition may not be applied retroactive to its effective date

1-12     unless required to maintain a plan's tax qualification status.

1-13           SECTION 2.  Section 19(a), Texas Local Fire Fighters

1-14     Retirement Act (Article 6243e, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), is

1-15     amended to read as follows:

1-16           (a)  In each municipality and other political subdivision to

1-17     which this Act applies and that has a fire department that does not

1-18     consist exclusively of volunteers, the fire fighters' retirement

1-19     system is governed by a board of trustees consisting of:

1-20                 (1)  the mayor of the municipality or the mayor's

1-21     designated representative or the chief operating officer of the

1-22     political subdivision or the chief operating officer's designated

1-23     representative, as applicable;

1-24                 (2)  the chief financial officer of the municipality or

 2-1     other political subdivision or, if there is no officer denominated

 2-2     as chief financial officer, the person who performs the duties of

 2-3     chief financial officer or a person designated by the chief

 2-4     financial officer or by the person performing the duties of chief

 2-5     financial officer;

 2-6                 (3)  three members of the retirement system elected by

 2-7     participating members as provided by Subsection (b) of this

 2-8     section; and

 2-9                 (4)  two persons [residents of the municipality or

2-10     other political subdivision] who are not officers or employees of

2-11     the municipality or other political subdivision and who are elected

2-12     by a majority vote of the members of the board of trustees

2-13     determined as provided by Subdivisions (1), (2), and (3) of this

2-14     subsection.

2-15           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-16     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-17     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-18     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-19     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

2-20     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

2-21     passage, and it is so enacted.