By Reyna of Bexar                                      H.B. No. 447
         76R947 KLA-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to community service leave for state agency employees.
 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-4           SECTION 1.  Subchapter F, Chapter 661, Government Code, is
 1-5     amended by adding Section 661.152 to read as follows:
 1-6           Sec. 661.152.  COMMUNITY SERVICE LEAVE.  (a)  In this
 1-7     section:
 1-8                 (1)  "Community service" means the voluntary provision
 1-9     of a service  that primarily benefits this state or its residents,
1-10     including:
1-11                       (A)  social, health, welfare, and educational
1-12     services;
1-13                       (B)  legal and other counseling services and
1-14     assistance, including tax counseling and assistance and financial
1-15     counseling;
1-16                       (C)  library and other similar services;
1-17                       (D)  services related to conservation,
1-18     maintenance, or restoration of natural resources;
1-19                       (E)  community betterment or beautification
1-20     services;
1-21                       (F)  antipollution and environmental quality
1-22     services; or
1-23                       (G)  economic development services.
1-24                 (2)  "Employee" and "state agency" have the meanings
 2-1     assigned by Section 661.001.
 2-2           (b)  An employee may use up to eight hours of community
 2-3     service leave each calendar year during the employee's regular work
 2-4     time to perform  community service.  The state agency may not
 2-5     determine the type of community service the employee may perform.
 2-6           (c)  An employee using community service leave is compensated
 2-7     at the same rate the employee would have received if the employee
 2-8     had reported to work for the number of hours for which leave is
 2-9     taken.
2-10           (d)  An employee shall give reasonable advance notice of the
2-11     employee's intention to use community service leave.
2-12           (e)  An employee using community service leave shall, on
2-13     return to work, submit to the state agency documentation of the
2-14     community service performed.  The documentation must be on a form
2-15     provided by the state agency  and must include:
2-16                 (1)  the date and number of hours the employee
2-17     performed the community service;
2-18                 (2)  a description of the community service performed;
2-19     and
2-20                 (3)  the signature and telephone number of a person who
2-21     supervised or organized the employee's community service.
2-22           (f)  An employee who has community service leave that is not
2-23     taken on or before the last work day of the calendar year may not:
2-24                 (1)  carry forward the leave not taken into a future
2-25     calendar year; or
2-26                 (2)  receive compensation in addition to the employee's
2-27     regular compensation for leave not taken.
 3-1           (g)  Community service leave is in addition to vacation time
 3-2     and  sick leave.
 3-3           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect January 1, 2000.
 3-4           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
 3-5     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
 3-6     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
 3-7     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
 3-8     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.