1-1 By: Van de Putte S.B. No. 1714 1-2 (In the Senate - Filed March 9, 2001; March 14, 2001, read 1-3 first time and referred to Committee on Intergovernmental 1-4 Relations; May 4, 2001, reported favorably by the following vote: 1-5 Yeas 4, Nays 0; May 4, 2001, sent to printer.) 1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-7 AN ACT 1-8 relating to a legislative leave time bank for peace officers and 1-9 firefighters. 1-10 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-11 SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 614, Government Code, is 1-12 amended by adding Section 614.011 to read as follows: 1-13 Sec. 614.011. LEGISLATIVE LEAVE TIME BANK. (a) A peace 1-14 officer or fire fighter may donate not more than one hour for each 1-15 month of accumulated vacation or compensatory time in increments of 1-16 one-quarter hour to the legislative leave time bank of an employee 1-17 organization. The employer shall establish and maintain a 1-18 legislative leave time bank for each employee organization. 1-19 (b) The peace officer or fire fighter must authorize the 1-20 donation in writing on a form provided by the employee organization 1-21 and approved by the employer. After receiving the signed 1-22 authorization on an approved form, the employer shall transfer 1-23 donated time to the legislative leave time bank monthly until the 1-24 employer receives the peace officer's or fire fighter's written 1-25 revocation of the authorization. 1-26 (c) Only a peace officer or fire fighter who is a member of 1-27 an employee organization may use for legislative leave purposes the 1-28 time donated to the legislative leave time bank of that employee 1-29 organization. A peace officer or fire fighter may use for 1-30 legislative leave purposes the time donated under this section 1-31 instead of reimbursing the employer under Section 614.005. 1-32 (d) A request to use for legislative leave purposes the time 1-33 in an employee organization's legislative leave time bank must be 1-34 in writing and submitted to the employer by the president or the 1-35 equivalent officer of the employee organization or by that 1-36 officer's designee. 1-37 (e) A legislative leave time bank authorized by this section 1-38 is perpetual. Unused time donated to an employee organization's 1-39 legislative leave time bank carries over from year to year until 1-40 used by the employee organization. 1-41 (f) The employer shall account for the time donated to the 1-42 legislative leave time bank and used from the time bank. The 1-43 employer may: 1-44 (1) determine and credit the actual cash value of the 1-45 donated time in the legislative leave time bank and determine and 1-46 debit the actual cash value of time used from the time bank for 1-47 legislative leave purposes; or 1-48 (2) credit and debit a legislative leave time bank on 1-49 an hour-for-hour basis regardless of the cash value of the time 1-50 donated or used. 1-51 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2001. 1-52 * * * * *