C.S.H.B. 1698 78(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


C.S.H.B. 1698
By: Madden
Public Education
Committee Report (Substituted)



BACKGROUND

Currently, school district employees can establish an automatic deduction
from their salary for the purposes of contributing to certain professional
organizations. 


PURPOSE 

C.S.H.B. 1698 allows a school district to set up an automatic payroll
deduction vehicle for any employee to contribute to any professional
organization and directs that the benefitting organization make a good
faith effort to inform employees of the cost incurred in salary deductions
and the procedures required to terminate such deductions.    


RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any
additional rulemaking authority to any state officer, department, agency,
or institution. 


ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 1698 amends the Education Code by providing that a school
district may adopt one or more forms to be used by an employee for the
purposes of setting up an automatic salary deduction.  The bill prohibits
school districts from imposing any conditions or requirements on employee
salary deductions other than those already contained in the law. The bill
requires that any organization receiving membership dues from school
employees as a result of a salary deduction must notify each employee of
the yearly amount deducted and the method by which the deduction can be
discontinued. The bill provides that school districts discontinue salary
deductions for membership dues to an organization if it is determined that
the organization has not made a good faith effort to comply with state
law.   

This Act applies beginning with the 2003-2004 school year.


EFFECTIVE DATE

Upon passage, or, if the Act does not receive the  necessary vote, the Act
takes effect September 1, 2003.  


COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 1698 modifies the original by permitting school districts to
adopt multiple request forms for employee salary deductions used to pay
membership dues in an organization.  C.S.H.B. 1698 modifies the original
by requiring the benefitting organization to make a good faith effort to
notify salary deducting employees of the amount deducted and specifies how
such deductions may be terminated.