SRC-AMY S.B. 1288 78(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.B. 1288
78R7352 KEG-FBy: Gallegos
Veteran Affairs & Military Installations
3/24/2003
As Filed


DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

Currently, Texas law does not require municipalities to provide military
leave time accounts for fire fighters or police officers or to maintain
their health, dental, and life insurance coverage and benefits should a
fire fighter or police officer be called to active military duty.
Additionally, there is no authorization for a fire fighter or police
officer to voluntarily substitute for a fire fighter or police officer who
has been called to federal active military duty.  As proposed, S.B. 1288
requires municipalities to provide a military leave time accounts for fire
fighters or police officers and to maintain their health, dental, and life
insurance coverage and benefits should a fire fighter or police officer be
called to active military duty.  This bill also authorizes a fire fighter
or police officer to voluntarily substitute for a fire fighter or police
officer who has been called to federal active military duty, as long as
that fire fighter or police officer is qualified to perform the duties of
the absent fire fighter or police officer. 

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 143G, Local Government Code, by adding Section
143.1262, as follows: 

Sec. 143.1262.  MILITARY LEAVE AND MILITARY LEAVE TIME ACCOUNTS.  (a)
Requires a municipality to maintain separate military leave time accounts
for the fire and police departments. 

(b) Requires a military leave time account to benefit a fire fighter or
police officer who meets certain criteria. 

(c) Authorizes a fire fighter or police officer to donate any amount of
accumulated vacation, holiday, or compensatory leave time to the military
leave time account in that fire fighter's or police officer's department
to help provide salary continuation for fire fighters or police officers
who qualify as eligible beneficiaries under Subsection (b) 

(d)  Requires a municipality to equally distribute the leave time donated
to a military leave time account among all fire fighters or police
officers who are eligible beneficiaries of that account.  Requires the
municipality to credit and debit the applicable military leave time
account on an hourly basis regardless of the cash value of the time
donated or used. 

(e) Requires the employing municipality to continue to maintain any
health, dental, or life insurance coverage and benefits coverage received
through the municipality on the date the fire fighter or police officer
was called to active military duty, if a fire fighter or police officer is
called to active military duty for any period, until receiving written
instructions from the fire fighter or police officer to change or
discontinue coverage.  

(f) Authorizes a fire fighter or police officer to voluntarily substitute
for a fire fighter or police officer described by Subsections (b)(1) and
(2), without restriction as to the amount of time,  who has been called to
active federal military duty expected to last 12 months or longer.
Requires a fire fighter or police officer who voluntarily substitutes
under this subsection to be qualified to perform the duties of the absent
fire fighter or police officer. 

SECTION 2.  Effective date: September 3, 2003.