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.