SRC-VRA S.B. 255 78(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.B. 255
78R2768 KEG-FBy: Averitt
Government Organization
3/6/2003
As Filed


DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

Currently, Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) communications officers
cannot accrue compensatory time when working on a national or state
holiday that falls on a weekend.  DPS communication officers work on a
rotating 24-hour-a-day-7-days-a-week schedule.  Consequently, they are
frequently scheduled to work on the weekends.  If a weekend shift is also
a holiday, officers cannot accrue compensatory time for that shift.
However, when a holiday falls on a weekday communications officers are
allowed to accrue compensatory time.  As proposed, S.B. 255 would enable
DPS communication officers to accrue comp time when working on a national
or state holiday that falls on a weekend.   

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to
a state officer, institution, or agency. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 662.055(b), Government Code, to provide that a
state employee who is a peace officer commissioned by the Department of
Public Safety (DPS) or who is employed by DPS to perform communications or
dispatch services related to traffic law enforcement is entitled to
compensatory time off at the rate of one hour for each hour worked on the
holiday.   

SECTION 2.  Effective date  September 1, 2003.