SRC-SEW H.B. 2706 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research Center H.B. 2706 By: Reyna, Arthur (Sponsor Unknown) Intergovernmental Relations 5/11/2001 Engrossed DIGEST AND PURPOSE Current law authorizes peace officers and firefighters employed by municipalities with a population of 200,000 or more, counties of 500,000 or more, or the state to take legislative leave to communicate with their legislators. The law requires the employee or an association representing the employee to reimburse the public employer for any expenses incurred as a result of the legislative leave. A time bank for legislative leave would lessen the costs incurred to employees and employee organizations due to taken legislative leave. H.B. 2706 requires the state, a municipality with a population of 200,000 or more, or a county with a population of 500,000 or more to establish and maintain a legislative, vacation, and sick leave time bank for each of its peace officer or firefighter employee organizations. 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 Subchapter A, Chapter 614, Government Code, by adding Section 614.011, as follows: Sec. 614.011. LEGISLATIVE LEAVE TIME BANK. (a) Provides that this section applies only to counties with a population of more than one million and less than 1.5 million. (b) Authorizes a peace officer or firefighter to donate no more than one hour each month, in increments of one-quarter hour, of the person's accumulated vacation, sick, or compensatory time to the legislative leave time bank of an employee organization. Requires the employer to establish and maintain a legislative leave time bank for each employee organization. (c) Requires the peace officer or firefighter to authorize the donation in writing on a form provided by the employee organization and approved by the employer. Requires the employer, after receiving the signed authorization on an approved form, to transfer donated time to the bank monthly until the employer receives the peace officer's or firefighter's written revocation of the authorization. (d) Authorizes only a peace officer or firefighter who is a member of an employee organization to use for legislative leave purposes the time donated to the bank of that employee organization. Authorizes a peace officer or firefighter to use for legislative leave purposes the time donated under this section instead of reimbursing the employer under Section 614.005. (e) Requires a request to use for legislative leave purposes the time in an employee organization's time bank to be in writing and submitted to the employer by the president or the equivalent officer of the employee organization or by that officer's designee. (f) Requires the employer to account for the time donated to the bank and used from the bank. Authorizes the employer to perform certain actions. (g) Provides that a leave time bank authorized by this section is perpetual. Provides that unused leave time donated to a leave time bank carries over from year to year until used by the designated employee organization. SECTION 2. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2001.