By Uher H.B. No. 1448
76R6016 AJA-D
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to restrictions on off-duty employment of Texas Department
1-3 of Public Safety officers.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. Section 411.0077, Government Code, is amended to
1-6 read as follows:
1-7 Sec. 411.0077. LIMITATION ON RESTRICTIONS ON CERTAIN
1-8 OFF-DUTY ACTIVITIES. [(a)] During the period that the officer is
1-9 off duty, a commissioned officer of the department is entitled to
1-10 attend educational programs or courses or to engage in any outside
1-11 employment that does not violate any statute [adversely affect the
1-12 operations or the reputation of the department]. The rights of a
1-13 commissioned officer under this section are subject to any
1-14 reasonable department requirements that the officer be accessible
1-15 to the department during off-duty periods for the possible
1-16 performance of official duties.
1-17 [(b) The department shall adopt reasonable guidelines
1-18 relating to acceptable off-duty employment.]
1-19 [(c) If an officer is engaged in off-duty employment that is
1-20 not prohibited by a specific guideline adopted under Subsection
1-21 (b), the officer is authorized to engage in the off-duty employment
1-22 until the director or his designee informs the officer in writing
1-23 that the employment is not acceptable.]
1-24 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
2-1 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the
2-2 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-3 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-4 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-5 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.