1-1     By:  Jackson                                           S.B. No. 880
 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed March 4, 1999; March 8, 1999, read
 1-3     first time and referred to Committee on Intergovernmental
 1-4     Relations; April 15, 1999, reported favorably by the following
 1-5     vote:  Yeas 5, Nays 0; April 15, 1999, sent to printer.)
 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-7                                   AN ACT
 1-8     relating to the provision of insurance coverage for county officers
 1-9     and employees.
1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-11           SECTION 1.  Subchapter C, Chapter 157, Local Government Code,
1-12     is amended by adding Section 157.043 to read as follows:
1-13           Sec. 157.043.  GENERAL LIABILITY INSURANCE FOR COUNTY
1-14     OFFICIALS.  (a)  In this section, "county officer or employee"
1-15     includes a county or precinct peace officer, the district attorney,
1-16     or an officer of a special purpose district located in whole or in
1-17     part in the county.
1-18           (b)  The commissioners court of a county may obtain insurance
1-19     or similar coverage from a governmental pool operating under
1-20     Chapter 119 or a self-insurance fund or risk retention group
1-21     operating under Chapter 1084, Acts of the 70th Legislature, Regular
1-22     Session, 1987 (Article 715c, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), for a
1-23     county officer or employee, insuring the officer or employee from
1-24     liability for losses arising from the performance of official
1-25     duties by the officer or duties of employment by the employee,
1-26     including losses resulting from errors or omissions of the officer
1-27     or employee or from crime, dishonesty, or theft.
1-28           (c)  An insurance policy purchased under Subsection (b) may
1-29     be a blanket insurance policy covering some or all county officers
1-30     or employees.  The commissioners court may self-insure for part or
1-31     all of any deductible required under a blanket insurance policy.  A
1-32     blanket insurance policy purchased under this subsection may be
1-33     used to satisfy any requirement for insurance required of a county
1-34     officer by any law.
1-35           (d)  This section is cumulative of other statutory, common
1-36     law, or constitutional provisions.
1-37           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
1-38           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
1-39     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-40     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
1-41     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
1-42     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
1-43                                  * * * * *