By: Van de Putte S.B. No. 1714 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to a legislative leave time bank for peace officers and 1-3 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) A peace 1-8 officer or fire fighter may donate not more than one hour for each 1-9 month of accumulated vacation or compensatory time in increments of 1-10 one-quarter hour to the legislative leave time bank of an employee 1-11 organization. The employer shall establish and maintain a 1-12 legislative leave time bank for each employee organization. 1-13 (b) The peace officer or fire fighter must authorize the 1-14 donation in writing on a form provided by the employee organization 1-15 and approved by the employer. After receiving the signed 1-16 authorization on an approved form, the employer shall transfer 1-17 donated time to the legislative leave time bank monthly until the 1-18 employer receives the peace officer's or fire fighter's written 1-19 revocation of the authorization. 1-20 (c) Only a peace officer or fire fighter who is a member of 1-21 an employee organization may use for legislative leave purposes the 1-22 time donated to the legislative leave time bank of that employee 1-23 organization. A peace officer or fire fighter may use for 1-24 legislative leave purposes the time donated under this section 1-25 instead of reimbursing the employer under Section 614.005. 2-1 (d) A request to use for legislative leave purposes the time 2-2 in an employee organization's legislative leave time bank must be 2-3 in writing and submitted to the employer by the president or the 2-4 equivalent officer of the employee organization or by that 2-5 officer's designee. 2-6 (e) A legislative leave time bank authorized by this section 2-7 is perpetual. Unused time donated to an employee organization's 2-8 legislative leave time bank carries over from year to year until 2-9 used by the employee organization. 2-10 (f) The employer shall account for the time donated to the 2-11 legislative leave time bank and used from the time bank. The 2-12 employer may: 2-13 (1) determine and credit the actual cash value of the 2-14 donated time in the legislative leave time bank and determine and 2-15 debit the actual cash value of time used from the time bank for 2-16 legislative leave purposes; or 2-17 (2) credit and debit a legislative leave time bank on 2-18 an hour-for-hour basis regardless of the cash value of the time 2-19 donated or used. 2-20 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.