1-1 By: Turner of Coleman, et al. H.B. No. 3185 1-2 (Senate Sponsor - Whitmire) 1-3 (In the Senate - Received from the House May 2, 2001; 1-4 May 3, 2001, read first time and referred to Committee on Criminal 1-5 Justice; May 10, 2001, reported favorably by the following vote: 1-6 Yeas 5, Nays 0; May 10, 2001, sent to printer.) 1-7 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-8 AN ACT 1-9 relating to certain personnel policies of the Texas Department of 1-10 Criminal Justice. 1-11 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-12 SECTION 1. Chapter 492, Government Code, is amended by adding 1-13 Section 492.015 to read as follows: 1-14 Sec. 492.015. PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS AND LABOR OVERSIGHT 1-15 COMMITTEE. (a) The department, in conjunction with the board's 1-16 human resources committee or any committee created by the board to 1-17 carry out the functions of the human resources committee, shall 1-18 review the implementation of and make necessary recommendations for 1-19 rule and policy changes to: 1-20 (1) career ladders established under Sections 493.007 1-21 and 494.014; 1-22 (2) professional development of correctional officers 1-23 and supervisory personnel; 1-24 (3) labor-management cooperation, recruitment, and 1-25 retention policies; and 1-26 (4) disciplinary and grievance procedures. 1-27 (b) The department, in conjunction with the board's human 1-28 resources committee or any committee created by the board to carry 1-29 out the functions of the human resources committee, shall submit a 1-30 report biennially to the legislature that includes the matters 1-31 considered under this section. 1-32 SECTION 2. Chapter 493, Government Code, is amended by adding 1-33 Section 493.0071 to read as follows: 1-34 Sec. 493.0071. EMPLOYEE EXIT INTERVIEWS. (a) The department 1-35 shall adopt a policy that provides for an exit interview of each 1-36 institutional division employee who terminates employment with the 1-37 department. Employee participation in the interview process is 1-38 voluntary, and the department is not required to conduct an exit 1-39 interview of an employee who is terminated against the employee's 1-40 will. 1-41 (b) The department shall encourage the employee to state in 1-42 the employee's own words the reasons for which the employee is 1-43 terminating employment. 1-44 (c) The department shall analyze responses to interviews 1-45 conducted under this section on the basis of the responding 1-46 employees' age, gender, race or ethnicity, years of service, rank, 1-47 and duty locations. 1-48 SECTION 3. Chapter 493, Government Code, is amended by adding 1-49 Section 493.026 to read as follows: 1-50 Sec. 493.026. REPORT OF EMPLOYMENT-RELATED GRIEVANCES. (a) 1-51 In this section, "employment-related grievance" means an 1-52 employment-related issue, in regard to which an employee wishes to 1-53 express dissatisfaction. 1-54 (b) The department shall submit annually to the board a 1-55 report on the process used by the department to resolve 1-56 employment-related grievances. The report must include: 1-57 (1) the number of grievances filed; 1-58 (2) a brief description of each grievance filed; and 1-59 (3) the final disposition of each grievance. 1-60 SECTION 4. Chapter 494, Government Code, is amended by adding 1-61 Sections 494.014 and 494.015 to read as follows: 1-62 Sec. 494.014. PERSONNEL. (a) The department shall develop a 1-63 career ladder program for the institutional division to retain 1-64 professionally qualified employees. The program must base 2-1 advancement on the employee's: 2-2 (1) annual performance evaluations developed under 2-3 Section 493.007; 2-4 (2) years of experience in the institutional division; 2-5 and 2-6 (3) hours of training completed. 2-7 (b) The department shall promote a correctional officer 2-8 candidate to the level of Texas Law Enforcement Correctional 2-9 Officer on completion of the hours of training and the years of 2-10 experience required by the department. 2-11 (c) The department shall: 2-12 (1) develop training programs necessary to give an 2-13 employee the opportunity for advancement; 2-14 (2) develop a training program consisting of a 2-15 combination of annual in-service training and specific supervisory 2-16 training and testing to be required for promotion to all 2-17 correctional officer supervisory positions; and 2-18 (3) allow an employee the opportunity to complete 2-19 available training programs required for advancement. 2-20 Sec. 494.015. MANAGEMENT-EMPLOYEE MEETINGS. (a) The 2-21 department shall implement policies mandating bimonthly 2-22 labor-management meetings between: 2-23 (1) each regional director or assistant regional 2-24 director; and 2-25 (2) employees selected by the department or employees 2-26 chosen by employees selected by the department. 2-27 (b) At each bimonthly labor-management meeting, both parties 2-28 shall have an opportunity to improve labor-management relations by 2-29 addressing issues selected by the parties. 2-30 (c) At the conclusion of each bimonthly meeting, a regional 2-31 director shall submit a report to the director of the institutional 2-32 division describing the progress of the meetings. 2-33 (d) The director of the institutional division shall conduct 2-34 statewide meetings with employee representatives. 2-35 SECTION 5. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice shall 2-36 adopt an exit interview policy, as required by Section 493.0071, 2-37 Government Code, as added by this Act, not later than October 1, 2-38 2001, and shall offer each employee who terminates employment with 2-39 the department on or after that date an opportunity to participate 2-40 in the interview. 2-41 SECTION 6. All employees having met the experience 2-42 qualification required under Section 494.014(b), Government Code, 2-43 as added by this Act, on or before September 1, 2001, shall 2-44 automatically be certified as Texas Law Enforcement Correctional 2-45 Officers. 2-46 SECTION 7. This Act takes effect September 1, 2001. 2-47 * * * * *