By:  Barrientos                                       S.B. No. 1354
         99S0809/1                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
                                       AN ACT
 1-1     relating to longevity pay for employees of the Texas School for the
 1-2     Blind and Visually Impaired and the Texas School for the Deaf.
 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-4           SECTION 1.  Section 659.043, Government Code, is amended to
 1-5     read as follows:
 1-6           Sec. 659.043.  ENTITLEMENT.  (a)  A state employee is
 1-7     entitled to longevity pay to be included in the employee's monthly
 1-8     compensation if the employee:
 1-9                 (1)  is a full-time state employee on the first workday
1-10     of the month;
1-11                 (2)  is not on leave without pay on the first workday
1-12     of the month; and
1-13                 (3)  has accrued at least five years of lifetime
1-14     service credit not later than the last day of the preceding month.
1-15           (b)  Notwithstanding Subsection (a), employees of the Texas
1-16     School for the Blind and Visually Impaired and the Texas School for
1-17     the Deaf are entitled to longevity pay for any month in which they
1-18     are on paid status for any portion of that month.
1-19           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
1-20           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
1-21     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-22     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
1-23     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
1-24     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.