SRC-TJG S.B. 1199 78(R) BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research Center S.B. 1199 By: Janek Finance 3/24/2003 As Filed DIGEST AND PURPOSE Law enforcement officers who work for the state are paid according to a uniform salary scale. The salaries for state troopers and Department of Public Safety officers are not in line with certain other police departments and sheriff offices. As proposed, S.B. 1199 creates a new mechanism for the legislature to address state law enforcement salaries in order to place and maintain those salaries in a position of strength in a competitive marketplace with similar-size agencies for law enforcement. 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 659B, Government Code, by adding Section 659.024, as follows: Sec. 659.024. COMPENSATION OF CERTAIN STATE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS. (a) Defines "local law enforcement department," "local law enforcement officer," "state law enforcement officer," and "total compensation." (b) Requires the state auditor, before September 1 of each even-numbered year, to conduct a survey of local law enforcement departments that employ more than 1,000 commissioned law enforcement officers to gather information about the total compensation provided by the departments to law enforcement officers. (c) Requires the state auditor, before January 1 of each odd-numbered year, to analyze the findings of the most recent survey conducted in accordance with Subsection (b) and to submit to the legislature a report on the findings of the survey and analysis. Requires the report to identify the five local law enforcement departments that provide the highest average total compensation to local law enforcement officers who have been employed by the local law enforcement departments for at least 30 years. (d) Requires the state auditor to employ technically and professionally sound methodologies to conduct the survey and analysis required by this section. (e) Requires local law enforcement departments to cooperate with the state auditor by providing timely and accurate information requested by the state auditor in accordance with a survey under this section. (f) Provides that the findings of a survey conducted in accordance with Subsection (b) are not appealable. (g) Requires the legislature to, as necessary, based on a report submitted to the legislature in accordance with this section, increase the salaries of all state law enforcement officers as defined by Subsection (a) by amounts that are determined by a certain mathematical equation, to improve the ability of the state to recruit and retain qualified law enforcement officers. (h) Prohibits the legislature from reducing the salary allocated for a state law enforcement officer position solely in response to a report under this section. SECTION 2. Requires the state auditor to conduct the first survey in accordance with Section 659.024, Government Code, as added by this Act, before September 1, 2004, and to provide to the legislature the first report in accordance with that section before January 1, 2005. SECTION 3. Requires the salary increase, if the legislature increases the salary paid to a state law enforcement officer under Section 659.024, Government Code, as added by this Act, to take effect on September 1 of the next biennium. SECTION 4. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2003