AN ACT

 1-1     relating to the use of personal leave by school district employees.

 1-2           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-3           SECTION 1.  Subsection (a), Section 22.003, Education Code,

 1-4     is amended to read as follows:

 1-5           (a)  A state minimum personal leave program consisting of

 1-6     five days per year personal leave with no limit on accumulation and

 1-7     transferable among districts shall be provided for school district

 1-8     employees.  School districts may provide additional personal leave

 1-9     beyond this minimum.  The board of trustees of a school district

1-10     may adopt a policy governing an employee's use of personal leave

1-11     granted under this subsection, except that the policy may not

1-12     restrict the purposes for which the leave may be used.

1-13           SECTION 2.  This Act applies beginning with the 1997-1998

1-14     school year.

1-15           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-16     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-17     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-18     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-19     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

1-20     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

1-21     passage, and it is so enacted.

         _______________________________     _______________________________

             President of the Senate              Speaker of the House

               I hereby certify that S.B. No. 780 passed the Senate on

         April 8, 1997, by the following vote:  Yeas 30, Nays 1.

                                             _______________________________

                                                 Secretary of the Senate

               I hereby certify that S.B. No. 780 passed the House on

         May 25, 1997, by the following vote:  Yeas 136, Nays 2, one present

         not voting.

                                             _______________________________

                                                 Chief Clerk of the House

         Approved:

         _______________________________

                     Date

         _______________________________

                   Governor