SRC-VRA S.B. 635 78(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.B. 635
By: Gallegos
Intergovernmental Relations
3/10/2003
As Filed


DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

Currently, fire fighters and police officers may receive additional pay in
the form of an educational incentive as approved by the governing body of
the municipality.   As proposed, S.B. 635 would require a municipality
that authorizes educational incentive pay to pay each firefighter the
larger of an amount set by city ordinance or  ten percent of base salary
for an associate's degree, twenty percent of base salary for a
baccalaureate degree, or twenty-five percent of base salary for a master's
or doctorate degree.  

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 143.112, Local Government Code, by adding
Subsection (d) to require each eligible fire fighter within each
classification, if the municipality authorizes educational incentive pay
under this section, to be entitled to the amount established by city
ordinance or an amount equal to ten percent of base salary upon attaining
an associate's degree, twenty percent of base salary upon attaining a
baccalaureate's degree, twenty-five percent of base salary upon attaining
a master's or doctorate degree, whichever is larger. 

SECTION 2.  Effective date:  September 1, 2003.