78R7659 T

By:  Uresti                                                       H.B. No. 1970



A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to a legislative leave time bank for fire fighters and 
police officers in certain municipalities and counties.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:                        
	SECTION 1.  Subchapter A, Chapter 614, Government Code, is 
amended by adding Section 614.011 to read as follows:
	Sec. 614.011.  LEGISLATIVE LEAVE TIME BANK.  (a)  A peace 
officer or fire fighter may donate up to one hour per month, in 
increments of one-quarter hour, of accumulated vacation or 
compensatory time to a time bank established and maintained by the 
governmental body in the name of a peace or fire fighter employee 
organization.  The peace officer or fire fighter must authorize the 
donation in writing on a form provided by the employee organization 
and approved by the governmental body.  The governmental body will 
transfer the donated time to the employee organization's time bank 
account each month until the peace officer or fire fighter revokes 
the authorization in writing.
	(b)  Leave time donated to a time bank under this section may 
be used to fund legislative leave used by a peace officer or fire 
fighter who is a member of a peace officer or fire fighter employee 
organization in lieu of the cash reimbursement required by this 
Chapter.  A request to use leave time in an organization's time bank 
must be made in writing and submitted to the governmental body by 
the president of the peace officer or fire fighter employee 
organization or the president's designee.  A leave time account 
authorized by this section is perpetual.  Unused leave time donated 
to a time bank account shall carry over from year to year until used 
by the designated employee organization.
	(c)  The governmental body may:                                         
		(1)  determine the cash value of the donated leave time 
and credit the amount to an account in the name of the organization 
and then deduct the cash value of legislative leave used from this 
account; or
		(2)  exchange hours used by a peace officer or fire 
fighter for legislative leave on a one-for-one basis for hours 
accumulated in the time bank account regardless of the cash value.
	SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2003.