HBA-LJP S.B. 1066 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisS.B. 1066
By: Lucio
State Affairs
5/17/2001
Engrossed



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Under current law, the state employee incentive 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.  Senate
Bill 1066 modifies the eligibility requirements of the program, 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, and provides
leave without a deduction in salary as a reward for participating in the
program. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

ANALYSIS

Senate Bill 1066 amends the Government Code to require the Texas Incentive
and Productivity Commission (commission) to encourage state employees to
form groups to participate in the state employee incentive program
(program) on a temporary basis for the purpose of developing process
improvements in a state agency. 

The bill authorizes a state employee to be granted leave without a
deduction in salary as a reward for participating in the program.  The bill
prohibits the total amount of leave an employee is granted under the
program from exceeding 24 hours during a fiscal year. 

The bill provides that the required six month time period that must elapse
between an employee's last promotion, enhanced compensation award, one-time
merit payment, or merit salary increase for an employee to be eligible for
a merit salary increase or a one-time merit payment does not apply to a
merit salary increase under the program.  The bill also prohibits the
consideration of a merit salary increase under the program when computing a
maximum amount that a state agency spends for merit salary increases. 

The bill increases, from less than $100 to less than $500, the amount of
the net annual savings or the revenue increased based on an employee's
suggestion for an employee to be recognized by a certificate of
appreciation, but not be eligible for a bonus.  The bill increases, from
equal to or greater than $100 to equal to or greater than $500, the amount
that productivity must rise, after implementation cost, based on an
employee's or state employee group's suggestion for the employee to be
eligible for certain bonus awards or for a state employee group to be
eligible for certain bonuses. 

The bill provides that an elected or appointed official is not eligible to
participate in the program.  The bill also provides that if an employee is
temporarily assigned by the employee's agency to a group that is
established to develop process improvements in that agency, then the
employee is not ineligible to participate in the program solely because of
the employee's participation in that group. 

The bill authorizes an agency affected by the program to transfer savings
attributable to an implemented  suggestion from the first year of the
fiscal biennium to the second year of the fiscal biennium. 

The bill provides that certain provisions prohibiting a state agency from
using appropriated money to publish a publication with enhanced printing
stock do not apply to a publication of the commission. 

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2001.