SRC-SEW H.B. 2492 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research Center H.B. 2492 By: Bosse (Harris) State Affairs 5/11/2001 Engrossed DIGEST AND PURPOSE Under current law, the state employee incentive and agency productivity program (program) is designed to improve efficiency, safety, and customer service in state agencies by awarding an employee or state employee group that makes suggestions that improve a state agency with awards and bonuses. H.B. 2492 modifies the eligibility requirements of the program and increases the amount of savings to a state agency in order for an employee or state employee group to be eligible to receive an award or bonus. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 2108.004(c), Government Code, to authorize the Texas Incentive and Productivity Commission (commission) to seek, accept, and use contributions or assistance from private institutions and organizations and to request and receive aid and assistance from the governor's office and other state governmental bodies to effectively implement this chapter. SECTION 2. Amends Sections 2108.023(d) and (e), Government Code, as follows: (d) Provides that an employee is eligible for a bonus of 10 percent of the net savings or revenue increases, not to exceed an award of $5,000, under certain conditions. (e) Makes a conforming change. SECTION 3. Amends Section 2108.0236(b), Government Code, to make a conforming change. SECTION 4. Amends Section 2108.024, Government Code, to provide that each state employee is eligible to participate in the incentive program except an employee who is an elected or appointed official. Makes a nonsubstantive change. Provides that an employee who is temporarily assigned by the employee's agency to a group that is established for the purpose of developing process improvements in that agency is not ineligible under Subsection (a)(1) or (5) to participate in the incentive program solely because of the employee's participation in that group. SECTION 5. Amends Section 2108.037, Government Code, by adding Subsection (c), to authorize the affected agency to transfer savings attributable to an implemented suggestion from the first year of the fiscal biennium to the second year of the fiscal biennium. SECTION 6. Amends Section 2113.107(f), Government Code, to provide that Subsection (e) does not apply to a publication designed to promote tourism or economic development, a publication of the Texas School for the Deaf or the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, a publication of the Texas Incentive and Productivity Commission, or a publication of an institution of higher education. SECTION 7. Effective date: September 1, 2001.