SRC-SEW H.B. 3318 77(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   H.B. 3318
77R4825 ATP-DBy: Ramsay (Madla)
Intergovernmental Relations
4/26/2001
Engrossed


DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

Under current law, a county treasurer is required to complete 20 hours of
continuing education every two years. Currently, the annual education
seminars for county treasurers are conducted at the V. G. Young Institute
at Texas A&M University and a treasurer must travel to College Station
during the week that the course is offered in order to earn the required
hours. Allowing a county treasurer to receive some of the required
continuing education courses elsewhere and allowing a treasurer to carry
over a certain number of credit hours from year to year may alleviate some
of the difficulties county treasurers face trying to meet continuing
education requirements. H.B. 3318 authorizes a county treasurer to carry
over credit hours from year to year and allows a treasurer to participate
in continuing education courses without traveling to Texas A&M University.  

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 83.003, Local Government Code, as follows:

Sec. 83.003.  (a) Requires the county treasurer, within one year after the
date on which the person first takes office, to successfully complete an
introductory course of instruction in the performance of the duties of
county treasurer. 

(b) Requires a county treasurer, after completion of the first year in
office, to successfully complete in each 12-month period at least 20 hours
of continuing education in the performance of the duties of county
treasurer.  Deletes language regarding a onetime course in a 24-month
period. 

(c) Requires the introductory course required by Subsection (a) and at
least 10 hours of the continuing education required by Subsection (b) to be
taken at an accredited public institution of higher education.  Requires
the remaining required classroom hours, wherever taken, to be certified by
an accredited public institution of higher education. 
 
(d) Authorizes a county treasurer, to satisfy the requirement of Subsection
(b), to carry forward from one 12-month period to the next not more than 10
continuing education hours that the county treasurer completes in excess of
the required 20 hours.  Makes a conforming change by deleting existing
Subsection (d).  

  (e) Makes a nonsubstantive change.

SECTION 2.  Effective date: September 1, 2001.