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.