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 * * * * *