1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to a legislative leave time bank for certain peace
 1-3     officers and firefighters.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 614, Government Code, is
 1-6     amended by adding Section 614.011 to read as follows:
 1-7           Sec. 614.011.  LEGISLATIVE LEAVE TIME BANK. (a)  This section
 1-8     applies only to counties with a population of more than one million
 1-9     and less than 1.5 million.
1-10           (b)  A peace officer or firefighter may donate no more than
1-11     one hour each month, in increments of one-quarter hour, of the
1-12     person's accumulated vacation, sick, or compensatory time to the
1-13     legislative leave time bank of an employee organization.  The
1-14     employer shall establish and maintain a legislative leave time bank
1-15     for each employee organization.
1-16           (c)  The peace officer or firefighter must authorize the
1-17     donation in writing on a form provided by the employee organization
1-18     and approved by the employer.  After receiving the signed
1-19     authorization on an approved form, the employer shall transfer
1-20     donated time to the bank monthly until the employer receives the
1-21     peace officer's or firefighter's written revocation of the
1-22     authorization.
1-23           (d)  Only a peace officer or firefighter who is a member of
1-24     an employee organization may use for legislative leave purposes the
 2-1     time donated to the bank of that employee organization.  A peace
 2-2     officer or firefighter may use for legislative leave purposes the
 2-3     time donated under this section instead of reimbursing the employer
 2-4     under Section 614.005.
 2-5           (e)  A request to use for legislative leave purposes the time
 2-6     in an employee organization's time bank must be in writing and
 2-7     submitted to the employer by the president or the equivalent
 2-8     officer of the employee organization or by that officer's designee.
 2-9           (f)  The employer shall account for the time donated to the
2-10     bank and used from the bank.  The employer may:
2-11                 (1)  determine and credit the actual cash value of the
2-12     donated time in the bank and determine and debit the actual cash
2-13     value of time used from the bank for legislative leave purposes; or
2-14                 (2)  credit and debit a bank on an hour-for-hour basis
2-15     regardless of the cash value of the time donated or used.
2-16           (g)  A leave time bank authorized by this section is
2-17     perpetual.  Unused leave time donated to a leave time bank carries
2-18     over from year to year until used by the designated employee
2-19     organization.
2-20           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
2-21     a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
2-22     provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
2-23     Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
2-24     Act takes effect September 1, 2001.
         _______________________________     _______________________________
             President of the Senate              Speaker of the House
               I certify that H.B. No. 2706 was passed by the House on May
         11, 2001, by a non-record vote.
                                             _______________________________
                                                 Chief Clerk of the House
               I certify that H.B. No. 2706 was passed by the Senate on May
         22, 2001, by the following vote:  Yeas 30, Nays 0, 1 present, not
         voting.
                                             _______________________________
                                                 Secretary of the Senate
         APPROVED:  __________________________
                              Date
                    __________________________
                            Governor