By: Fraser S.B. No. 1328
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
1-1 relating to the eligibility of certain higher education employees
1-2 to participate in group programs under the Texas Employees Uniform
1-3 Group Insurance Benefits Act.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. The Texas Employees Uniform Group Insurance
1-6 Benefits Act (Article 3.50-2, Vernon's Texas Insurance Code) is
1-7 amended by adding Section 13C to read as follows:
1-8 Sec. 13C. CERTAIN EMPLOYEES INELIGIBLE. (a) An employee of
1-9 a public community/junior college who is employed to perform
1-10 services outside of this state is not eligible to participate in
1-11 the group programs provided under this Act unless the college
1-12 elects, in accordance with procedures adopted by the trustee, to
1-13 permit such employees to participate in those programs.
1-14 (b) For purposes of this section, an employee is employed to
1-15 perform services outside of this state if 75 percent or more of the
1-16 services performed by the employee are performed outside of this
1-17 state.
1-18 SECTION 2. Subsection (c), Section 13, Texas Employees
1-19 Uniform Group Insurance Benefits Act (Article 3.50-2, Vernon's
1-20 Texas Insurance Code), is amended to read as follows:
1-21 (c) Unless expelled from the program under Section 13A of
1-22 this Act or ineligible for the program under Section 13C of this
1-23 Act, each part-time employee and each employee of an institution of
2-1 higher education who is described by Section 3(a)(5)(A)(x)
2-2 [3(a)(5)(A)(viii)] of this Act is eligible for participation in the
2-3 group programs provided under this Act upon execution of
2-4 appropriate payroll deduction authorization for the required
2-5 payment of premiums. An institution of higher education shall, at
2-6 the time of employment, notify each employee of the institution who
2-7 is described by Section 3(a)(5)(A)(x) [3(a)(5)(A)(viii)] of this
2-8 Act of the employee's eligibility to participate in the group
2-9 programs provided under this Act.
2-10 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 1997, and
2-11 applies only to an employee of a public community/junior college
2-12 who is newly hired by the college on or after September 1, 1997.
2-13 An employee described in Section 13C, Texas Employees Uniform Group
2-14 Insurance Benefits Act (Article 3.50-2, Vernon's Texas Insurance
2-15 Code), as added by this Act, and who is an employee of the college
2-16 on August 31, 1997, is governed by the law as it existed
2-17 immediately before the effective date of this Act, and that law is
2-18 continued in effect for this purpose.
2-19 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the
2-20 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-21 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-22 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-23 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.