1-1     By:  Duncan                                           S.B. No. 1624

 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed March 14, 1997; March 24, 1997, read

 1-3     first time and referred to Committee on State Affairs;

 1-4     April 15, 1997, reported adversely, with favorable Committee

 1-5     Substitute by the following vote:  Yeas 13, Nays 0; April 15, 1997,

 1-6     sent to printer.)

 1-7     COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 1624                By:  Galloway

 1-8                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-9                                   AN ACT

1-10     relating to the use and management of the state employee sick leave

1-11     pool.

1-12           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-13           SECTION 1.  Section 661.005, Government Code, is amended to

1-14     read as follows:

1-15           Sec. 661.005.  WITHDRAWAL OF TIME FROM POOL.  (a)  An

1-16     employee may apply to the pool administrator for permission to

1-17     withdraw time from the sick leave pool.

1-18           (b)  If the employee is seeking permission to withdraw time

1-19     because of a catastrophic illness or injury, the employee must

1-20     provide the pool administrator with a written statement from the

1-21     licensed practitioner who is treating the employee or the

1-22     employee's immediate family member.  The statement must provide

1-23     sufficient information regarding the illness or injury to enable

1-24     the pool administrator to evaluate the employee's eligibility.

1-25           (c)  If the pool administrator determines that the employee

1-26     is eligible, the administrator shall:

1-27                 (1)  approve the transfer of time from the pool to the

1-28     employee; and

1-29                 (2)  credit the time to the employee.

1-30           SECTION 2.  Section 661.006, Government Code, is amended to

1-31     read as follows:

1-32           Sec. 661.006.  Limitation on Withdrawals.  (a)  An employee

1-33     may not withdraw time from the sick leave pool except in the case

1-34     of catastrophic illness or injury of the employee or the employee's

1-35     immediate family.

1-36           (b)  An employee may not withdraw time from the sick leave

1-37     pool in an amount that exceeds the lesser of:

1-38                 (1)  one-third of the total time in the pool; or

1-39                 (2)  90 days.

1-40           (c) [(b)]  The pool administrator shall determine the amount

1-41     of time that an employee may withdraw from the pool.

1-42           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

1-43           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-44     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-45     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-46     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-47     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

1-48                                  * * * * *