By Van de Putte                                       S.B. No. 1714
         77R6197 ATP-F                           
                                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 firefighter 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 firefighter 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 firefighter's written
1-19     revocation of the authorization.
1-20           (c)  Only a peace officer or firefighter 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 firefighter may use for
1-24     legislative leave purposes the time donated under this section
 2-1     instead of reimbursing the employer under Section 614.005.
 2-2           (d)  A request to use for legislative leave purposes the time
 2-3     in an employee organization's legislative leave time bank must be
 2-4     in writing and submitted to the employer by the president or the
 2-5     equivalent officer of the employee organization or by that
 2-6     officer's designee.
 2-7           (e)  A legislative leave time bank authorized by this section
 2-8     is perpetual.  Unused time donated to an employee organization's
 2-9     legislative leave time bank carries over from year to year until
2-10     used by the employee organization.
2-11           (f)  The employer shall account for the time donated to the
2-12     legislative leave time bank and used from the time bank.  The
2-13     employer may:
2-14                 (1)  determine and credit the actual cash value of the
2-15     donated time in the legislative leave time bank and determine and
2-16     debit the actual cash value of time used from the time bank for
2-17     legislative leave purposes; or
2-18                 (2)  credit and debit a legislative leave time bank on
2-19     an hour-for-hour basis regardless of the cash value of the time
2-20     donated or used.
2-21           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.