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.