By Naishtat                                           H.B. No. 1883
         76R5884 ESH-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to local-option bargaining by boards of trustees of public
 1-3     school districts.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subchapter A, Chapter 22, Education Code, is
 1-6     amended by adding Section 22.006 to read as follows:
 1-7           Sec. 22.006.  LOCAL-OPTION BARGAINING.  (a)  Notwithstanding
 1-8     Section 617.002, Government Code, the board of trustees of a school
 1-9     district may, at the board's sole discretion, enter into a binding
1-10     agreement with a labor organization as defined by Section 617.001,
1-11     Government Code.
1-12           (b)  An agreement under this section may contain terms
1-13     relating to compensation, hours of employment, or working
1-14     conditions.
1-15           (c)  The method of electing a labor organization to represent
1-16     district employees must be established by district policy.  A labor
1-17     organization elected to represent district employees in negotiating
1-18     an agreement under this section shall fairly represent each class
1-19     of employees to whom the agreement applies.
1-20           (d)  In negotiating an agreement under this section:
1-21                 (1)  the parties must meet at reasonable times and must
1-22     confer in good faith;
1-23                 (2)  neither party may be compelled to accept a
1-24     proposal or make a concession; and
 2-1                 (3)  the parties may execute a written contract
 2-2     incorporating any agreement reached.
 2-3           (e)  An agreement under this section may be enforced by an
 2-4     action brought in the district court of the county in which the
 2-5     district's central administrative office is located or the parties
 2-6     may agree to procedures under which any dispute is resolved by
 2-7     binding arbitration.
 2-8           (f)  Except as provided by Subsection (a), Chapter 617,
 2-9     Government Code, applies to the employees of a school district.
2-10           (g)  This section does not deprive any school district
2-11     employee of any right or benefit due to the employee under the
2-12     education laws of this state.
2-13           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
2-14           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
2-15     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-16     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-17     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-18     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.