By Wilson                                             H.B. No. 2365
         76R8617 SRC-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to training and education for legislative employees.
 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-4           SECTION 1.  Subchapter C, Chapter 656, Government Code, is
 1-5     amended by adding Section 656.0431 to read as follows:
 1-6           Sec. 656.0431.  LEGISLATIVE EMPLOYEES.  (a)  For purposes of
 1-7     this chapter, the employees of a legislative agency or of a member
 1-8     of the  legislature are considered to be employees of a state
 1-9     agency.
1-10           (b)  The house of representatives shall reimburse an employee
1-11     of a member of the house for 50 percent of tuition and mandatory
1-12     fees, not including room and board,  at an institution of higher
1-13     education if:
1-14                 (1)  the employee has been compensated from funds
1-15     appropriated to the house for a cumulative total of at least 15
1-16     years;
1-17                 (2)  the employee maintained a grade point average of
1-18     at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for the period for which reimbursement
1-19     is sought; and
1-20                 (3)  the employing member of the house approves the
1-21     request for reimbursement.
1-22           (c)  An employee may be reimbursed under this section only
1-23     for credit hours undertaken while an employee of a member of the
1-24     house.
 2-1           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.  An
 2-2     employee may not be reimbursed under Section 656.0431, Government
 2-3     Code, as added by this Act, for credit hours undertaken before the
 2-4     1999 fall semester.
 2-5           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
 2-6     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
 2-7     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
 2-8     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
 2-9     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.