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.
2-1 SECTION 2. Chapter 493, Government Code, is amended by adding
2-2 Section 493.0071 to read as follows:
2-3 Sec. 493.0071. EMPLOYEE EXIT INTERVIEWS. (a) The department
2-4 shall adopt a policy that provides for an exit interview of each
2-5 institutional division employee who terminates employment with the
2-6 department. Employee participation in the interview process is
2-7 voluntary, and the department is not required to conduct an exit
2-8 interview of an employee who is terminated against the employee's
2-9 will.
2-10 (b) The department shall encourage the employee to state in
2-11 the employee's own words the reasons for which the employee is
2-12 terminating employment.
2-13 (c) The department shall analyze responses to interviews
2-14 conducted under this section on the basis of the responding
2-15 employees' age, gender, race or ethnicity, years of service, rank,
2-16 and duty locations.
2-17 SECTION 3. Chapter 493, Government Code, is amended by adding
2-18 Section 493.026 to read as follows:
2-19 Sec. 493.026. REPORT OF EMPLOYMENT-RELATED GRIEVANCES. (a)
2-20 In this section, "employment-related grievance" means an
2-21 employment-related issue in regard to which an employee wishes to
2-22 express dissatisfaction.
2-23 (b) The department shall submit annually to the board a
2-24 report on the process used by the department to resolve
2-25 employment-related grievances. The report must include:
2-26 (1) the number of grievances filed;
2-27 (2) a brief description of each grievance filed; and
3-1 (3) the final disposition of each grievance.
3-2 SECTION 4. Chapter 494, Government Code, is amended by adding
3-3 Sections 494.014 and 494.015 to read as follows:
3-4 Sec. 494.014. PERSONNEL. (a) The department shall develop a
3-5 career ladder program for the institutional division to retain
3-6 professionally qualified employees. The program must base
3-7 advancement on the employee's:
3-8 (1) annual performance evaluations developed under
3-9 Section 493.007;
3-10 (2) years of experience in the institutional division;
3-11 and
3-12 (3) hours of training completed.
3-13 (b) The department shall promote a correctional officer
3-14 candidate to the level of Texas Law Enforcement Correctional
3-15 Officer on completion of the hours of training and the years of
3-16 experience required by the department.
3-17 (c) The department shall:
3-18 (1) develop training programs necessary to give an
3-19 employee the opportunity for advancement;
3-20 (2) develop a training program consisting of a
3-21 combination of annual in-service training and specific supervisory
3-22 training and testing to be required for promotion to all
3-23 correctional officer supervisory positions; and
3-24 (3) allow an employee the opportunity to complete
3-25 available training programs required for advancement.
3-26 Sec. 494.015. MANAGEMENT-EMPLOYEE MEETINGS. (a) The
3-27 department shall implement policies mandating bimonthly
4-1 labor-management meetings between:
4-2 (1) each regional director or assistant regional
4-3 director; and
4-4 (2) employees selected by the department or employees
4-5 chosen by employees selected by the department.
4-6 (b) At each bimonthly labor-management meeting, both parties
4-7 shall have an opportunity to improve labor-management relations by
4-8 addressing issues selected by the parties.
4-9 (c) At the conclusion of each bimonthly meeting, a regional
4-10 director shall submit a report to the director of the institutional
4-11 division describing the progress of the meetings.
4-12 (d) The director of the institutional division shall conduct
4-13 statewide meetings with employee representatives.
4-14 SECTION 5. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice shall
4-15 adopt an exit interview policy, as required by Section 493.0071,
4-16 Government Code, as added by this Act, not later than October 1,
4-17 2001, and shall offer each employee who terminates employment with
4-18 the department on or after that date an opportunity to participate
4-19 in the interview.
4-20 SECTION 6. All employees having met the experience
4-21 qualification required under Section 494.014(b), Government Code,
4-22 as added by this Act, on or before September 1, 2001, shall
4-23 automatically be certified as Texas Law Enforcement Correctional
4-24 Officers.
4-25 SECTION 7. This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.
_______________________________ _______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I certify that H.B. No. 3185 was passed by the House on May
1, 2001, by a non-record vote.
_______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
I certify that H.B. No. 3185 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