SRC-JLB S.B. 886 78(R) BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research Center S.B. 886 78R8116 TBy: Van de Putte Intergovernmental Relations 3/25/2003 As Filed DIGEST AND PURPOSE Currently, peace officers and firefighters are not able to donate time to a legislative leave time bank for their legislative advocates. As proposed, S.B. 886 authorizes a peace officer or firefighter to donate not more than one hour for each month of accumulated vacation or compensatory time in increments of one-quarter hour to the legislative leave time bank of an employee organization. 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 Chapter 614A, Government Code, by adding Section 614.011, as follows: Sec. 614.011. LEGISLATIVE LEAVE TIME BANK. (a) Authorizes a peace officer or fire fighter to donate not more than one hour for each month of accumulated vacation or compensatory time in increments of one-quarter hour to the legislative leave time bank of an employee organization. Requires the employer to establish and maintain a legislative leave time bank for each employee organization. (b) Requires the peace officer or fire fighter to authorize the donation in writing on a form provided by the employee organization and approved by the employer. Requires the employer, after receiving the signed authorization on an approved form, to transfer donated time to the legislative leave time bank monthly until the employer receives the peace officer's or fire fighter's written revocation of the authorization. (c) Authorizes only a peace officer or fire fighter who is a member of an employee organization to use for legislative leave purposes the time donated to the legislative leave time bank of that employee organization. Authorizes a peace officer or fire fighter to use for legislative leave purposes the time donated under this section instead of reimbursing the employer under Section 614.005. (d) Requires a request to use for legislative leave purposes the time in an employee organization's legislative leave time bank to be in writing and submitted to the employer by the president or the equivalent officer of the employee organization or by that officer's designee. (e) Provides that a legislative leave time bank authorized by this section is perpetual. Provides that unused time donated to an employee organization's legislative leave time bank carries over from year to year until used by the employee organization. (f) Requires the employer to account for the time donated to the legislative leave time bank and used from the time bank. Authorizes the employer to perform certain tasks. SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2001.