1-1     By:  Barrientos                                       S.B. No. 1260

 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed March 12, 1997; March 17, 1997, read

 1-3     first time and referred to Committee on Intergovernmental

 1-4     Relations; April 24, 1997, reported favorably by the following

 1-5     vote:  Yeas 11, Nays 0; April 24, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to contributions to retirement systems for firefighters in

 1-9     certain municipalities.

1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-11           SECTION 1.  Section 10.01, Chapter 183, Acts of the 64th

1-12     Legislature, 1975 (Article 6243e.1, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes),

1-13     is amended to read as follows:

1-14           Sec. 10.01.  MUNICIPAL AND MEMBER CONTRIBUTIONS.  (a)  Each

1-15     [month before October 1, 1994, 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 14 percent, or a

1-18     higher percentage that the municipality authorizes, of the

1-19     compensation of all members during that month.]

1-20           [(b)  Each calendar month after September 30, 1994, and

1-21     before October 1, 1995, each municipality in which a fire

1-22     department to which this Act applies is located shall appropriate

1-23     and contribute to the fund an amount equal to 16.05 percent of the

1-24     compensation of all members during that month.]

1-25           [(c)  Each month after September 30, 1995, each] municipality

1-26     in which a fire department to which this Act applies is located

1-27     shall appropriate and contribute to the fund an amount equal to

1-28     18.05 percent of the compensation of all members during that month.

1-29           (b) [(d)]  Each firefighter shall pay into the fund each

1-30     month 13.70 percent of the firefighter's compensation for that

1-31     month.

1-32           (c)  The governing body of each municipality may authorize

1-33     the municipality to contribute a portion of the contribution

1-34     required of each firefighter under this section.  In that event:

1-35                 (1)  the municipality shall appropriate and contribute

1-36     to the fund each month at the higher percentage of compensation

1-37     necessary to make all contributions required and authorized to be

1-38     made by the municipality under this section; and

1-39                 (2)  each firefighter's individual account with the

1-40     fund shall be credited each month as if the firefighter had made

1-41     the entire contribution required of that firefighter under

1-42     Subsection (b) of this section.

1-43           (d) [(e)]  The governing body of each municipality may

1-44     authorize the municipality to make an additional contribution to

1-45     the fund in whatever amount the governing body may determine.  The

1-46     members of the fund, by a majority vote in favor of an increase in

1-47     contributions above 13.70 percent, may increase each firefighter's

1-48     contribution above 13.70 percent to any percentage recommended by a

1-49     majority vote of the board of trustees.

1-50           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect October 1, 1997.

1-51           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-52     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-53     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-54     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-55     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

1-56                                  * * * * *