By Kuempel                                            H.B. No. 1299
         77R4103 PAM-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the pooling of sick leave by county employees.
 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-4           SECTION 1.  Section 157.073(a), Local Government Code, is
 1-5     amended to read as follows:
 1-6           (a)  The commissioners court may adopt rules and prescribe
 1-7     procedures and forms relating to the operation of the county sick
 1-8     leave pool program.  The commissioners court by rule may require an
 1-9     employee to:
1-10                 (1)  enroll in the county sick leave pool as a
1-11     condition for eligibility under Section 157.075(a); and
1-12                 (2)  transfer at least one day of accrued sick leave
1-13     time or, if allowed under Section 157.072(b), accrued vacation
1-14     leave time earned by the employee as a condition of enrollment.
1-15           SECTION 2.  Section 157.074, Local Government Code, is
1-16     amended by adding Subsection (c) to read as follows:
1-17           (c)  An employee who is terminated or who resigns or retires
1-18     may donate not more than 10 days of accrued sick leave time or, if
1-19     allowed under Section 157.072(b), accrued vacation leave time
1-20     earned by the employee to take effect immediately before the
1-21     effective date of termination, resignation, or retirement.
1-22           SECTION 3.  Section 157.075(a), Local Government Code, is
1-23     amended to read as follows:
1-24           (a)  An employee is eligible to use time contributed to the
 2-1     county sick leave pool if:[,]
 2-2                 (1)  because of a catastrophic injury or illness, the
 2-3     employee has exhausted all the accrued paid leave and compensatory
 2-4     time to which the employee is otherwise entitled; and
 2-5                 (2)  the employee is enrolled in the county sick leave
 2-6     pool, if the commissioners court requires enrollment under Section
 2-7     157.073(a).
 2-8           SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
 2-9     a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
2-10     provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
2-11     Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
2-12     Act takes effect September 1, 2001.