SRC-JEC S.B. 549 77(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.B. 549
77R4103 PAM-DBy: Zaffirini
Intergovernmental Relations
4/18/2001
As Filed


DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

Under current law, a county does not have the authority to require a county
employee participating in the county sick leave pool to donate sick leave
time.  A county is unable to prohibit individuals who do not donate sick
leave from abusing the service provided by the pool. As proposed, S.B. 549
authorizes a county to require employees to donate accrued sick leave or
accrued vacation leave time before being eligible to withdraw time from the
pool, and increases the amount of such leave that an employee may donate
before leaving employment with the county. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

Rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the commissioners court of a
county in SECTION 1 (Section 157.073, Local Government Code) of this bill. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 157.073(a), Local Government Code, to authorize
the commissioners court by rule to require an employee to enroll in the
county sick leave pool as a condition for eligibility under Section
157.075(a), and transfer at least one day of accrued sick leave time or, if
allowed under Section 157.072(b), accrued vacation leave time earned by the
employee as a condition of enrollment. 

SECTION 2.  Amends Section 157.074, Local Government Code, to add
Subsection (c) to authorize a terminated, resigning, or retiring employee
to donate not more than 10 days of accrued sick leave time, or, if allowed
under Section 157.072(b), accrued vacation leave time earned by the
employee to take effect immediately before the effective date of
termination, resignation, or retirement.  

SECTION 3.  Amends Section 157.075(a), Local Government Code, to provide
that an employee is eligible to use time contributed to the county sick
leave pool if the employee is enrolled in the county sick leave pool, if
the commissioners court requires enrollment under Section 157.073(a). 

SECTION 4.  Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2001.