S.B. 189 78(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


S.B. 189
By: Carona
County Affairs
Committee Report (Amended)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 
Sections 152.014-152.016 of the Local Government Code require a
commissioners court to appoint a Salary Grievance Committee in January of
each year for elected officials to appeal their salaries. However,
salaries are set during the county budget process, usually in September,
nine months after the Salary Grievance Committee is appointed.  People
often become ineligible to serve on a Grievance Committee in the
nine-month period between when it is appointed and when it is needed. In
most years, no grievances are filed.  It makes more sense to appoint the
Salary Grievance Committee after a grievance is filed. 

Senate Bill 189 requires the appointment of a salary grievance committee
upon receipt of a salary grievance and sets forth the terms and conditions
under which the committee meets 

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

ANALYSIS
SECTION 1.  Amends Section 152.014(a), Local Government Code, to delete
January as the specified month when the commissioners court is to vote
regarding its salary grievance committee. 

SECTION 2.  Sections 152.015(a) and (c), Local Government Code, are
amended to read as  follows: 

 (a)Requires the public members of the salary grievance committee to be
selected at a meeting of the court not later than the 15th day after the
date a request for a hearing is received under Section 152.016(a).
Provides that if such a request is not received, the court is not required
to select public members. 

 (c)Provides that a public member serves until the end of the fiscal year
in which the public member is appointed or when the committee takes a
final vote on the last of the grievances for which the committee held a
public hearing, whichever is later. 

SECTION 3.  Section 152.016, Local Government Code, is amended by amending
Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (b-1) to read as follows: 

(b)  Requires the committee to hold a public hearing not later than the
10th day after the date the request is received or the date the
commissioners court selects the public members of the committee. 
  
 (b-1)  renumbered.

SECTION 4. This Act takes effect January 1, 2004 and applies only to the
salary or expense of an elected county or precinct officer for a county
fiscal year that begins on or after that date. 


EFFECTIVE DATE
January 1, 2004

 

EXPLANATION OF AMENDMENTS
Committee Amendment Number 1 strikes language on line 19 and adds the
following language: "at any time during the year, but not later than the
15th."