By Turner of Coleman, Ellis, H.B. No. 3185
77R12925 E
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to certain personnel policies of the Texas Department of
1-3 Criminal Justice.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. Chapter 492, Government Code, is amended by adding
1-6 Section 492.015 to read as follows:
1-7 Sec. 492.015. PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS AND LABOR OVERSIGHT
1-8 COMMITTEE. (a) The department, in conjunction with the board's
1-9 human resources committee or any committee created by the board to
1-10 carry out the functions of the human resources committee, shall
1-11 review the implementation of and make necessary recommendations for
1-12 rule and policy changes to:
1-13 (1) career ladders established under Sections 493.007
1-14 and 494.014;
1-15 (2) professional development of correctional officers
1-16 and supervisory personnel;
1-17 (3) labor-management cooperation, recruitment, and
1-18 retention policies; and
1-19 (4) disciplinary and grievance procedures.
1-20 (b) The department, in conjunction with the board's human
1-21 resources committee or any committee created by the board to carry
1-22 out the functions of the human resources committee, shall submit a
1-23 report biennially to the legislature that includes the matters
1-24 considered under this section.
1-25 SECTION 2. Chapter 493, Government Code, is amended by adding
2-1 Section 493.0071 to read as follows:
2-2 Sec. 493.0071. EMPLOYEE EXIT INTERVIEWS. (a) The department
2-3 shall adopt a policy that provides for an exit interview of each
2-4 institutional division employee who terminates employment with the
2-5 department. Employee participation in the interview process is
2-6 voluntary, and the department is not required to conduct an exit
2-7 interview of an employee who is terminated against the employee's
2-8 will.
2-9 (b) The department shall encourage the employee to state in
2-10 the employee's own words the reasons for which the employee is
2-11 terminating employment.
2-12 (c) The department shall analyze responses to interviews
2-13 conducted under this section on the basis of the responding
2-14 employees' age, gender, race or ethnicity, years of service, rank,
2-15 and duty locations.
2-16 SECTION 3. Chapter 493, Government Code, is amended by adding
2-17 Section 493.026 to read as follows:
2-18 Sec. 493.026. REPORT OF EMPLOYMENT-RELATED GRIEVANCES. (a)
2-19 In this section, "employment-related grievance" means an
2-20 employment-related issue, in regard to which an employee wishes to
2-21 express dissatisfaction.
2-22 (b) The department shall submit annually to the board a
2-23 report on the process used by the department to resolve
2-24 employment-related grievances. The report must include:
2-25 (1) the number of grievances filed;
2-26 (2) a brief description of each grievance filed; and
2-27 (3) the final disposition of each grievance.
3-1 SECTION 4. Chapter 494, Government Code, is amended by adding
3-2 Sections 494.014 and 494.015 to read as follows:
3-3 Sec. 494.014. PERSONNEL. (a) The department shall develop a
3-4 career ladder program for the institutional division to retain
3-5 professionally qualified employees. The program must base
3-6 advancement on the employee's:
3-7 (1) annual performance evaluations developed under
3-8 Section 493.007;
3-9 (2) years of experience in the institutional division;
3-10 and
3-11 (3) hours of training completed.
3-12 (b) The department shall promote a correctional officer
3-13 candidate to the level of Texas Law Enforcement Correctional
3-14 Officer on completion of the hours of training and the years of
3-15 experience required by the department.
3-16 (c) The department shall:
3-17 (1) develop training programs necessary to give an
3-18 employee the opportunity for advancement;
3-19 (2) develop a training program consisting of a
3-20 combination of annual in-service training and specific supervisory
3-21 training and testing to be required for promotion to all
3-22 correctional officer supervisory positions; and
3-23 (3) allow an employee the opportunity to complete
3-24 available training programs required for advancement.
3-25 Sec. 494.015. MANAGEMENT-EMPLOYEE MEETINGS. (a) The
3-26 department shall implement policies mandating bimonthly
3-27 labor-management meetings between:
4-1 (1) each regional director or assistant regional
4-2 director; and
4-3 (2) employees selected by the department or employees
4-4 chosen by employees selected by the department.
4-5 (b) At each bimonthly labor-management meeting, both parties
4-6 shall have an opportunity to improve labor-management relations by
4-7 addressing issues selected by the parties.
4-8 (c) At the conclusion of each bimonthly meeting, a regional
4-9 director shall submit a report to the director of the institutional
4-10 division describing the progress of the meetings.
4-11 (d) The director of the institutional division shall conduct
4-12 statewide meetings with employee representatives.
4-13 SECTION 5. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice shall
4-14 adopt an exit interview policy, as required by Section 493.0071,
4-15 Government Code, as added by this Act, not later than October 1,
4-16 2001, and shall offer each employee who terminates employment with
4-17 the department on or after that date an opportunity to participate
4-18 in the interview.
4-19 SECTION 6. All employees having met the experience
4-20 qualification required under Section 494.014(b), Government Code,
4-21 as added by this Act, on or before September 1, 2001, shall
4-22 automatically be certified as Texas Law Enforcement Correctional
4-23 Officers.
4-24 SECTION 7. This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.