By:  Noriega                                                      H.B. No. 2400



A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to military leave under the municipal civil service law in 
certain cities.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:                        
	SECTION 1.  Subchapter G, Chapter 143, Local Government 
Code, is amended by adding Section 143.1265 to read as follows:
	Sec. 143.1265.  MILITARY LEAVES AND MILITARY LEAVE ACCOUNTS.  
(a)  A municipality shall establish military leave accounts in both 
the fire and police departments for the benefit of a fire fighter or 
a police officer who is a reservist in one of the armed services of 
the United States of America, who has been called to active duty for 
a period lasting 12 continuous months or longer, and who has 
exhausted the balance of their respective vacation, holiday, and 
compensatory leave accumulations.  The municipality shall maintain 
separate military leave accounts for the fire department and the 
police department.  The municipality shall account for the time 
donated to the separate military leave accounts.
	(b)  A fire fighter or police officer may donate any amount 
of unused accumulated vacation, holiday, or compensatory time to 
the military leave account for their respective department.
	(c)  The municipality shall equally distribute the donated 
leave, as needed, to all eligible fire fighter or police officer 
military reservists to provide salary continuation for those 
members that have exhausted their own benefit leave accumulations.  
The municipality shall credit and debit the appropriate military 
leave account on an hour-for-hour basis regardless of the cash 
value of the time donated or used.
	(d)  A municipality shall continue to maintain the same 
health, dental, or life insurance coverage that the fire fighter or 
police officer may have had on the date the fire fighter or police 
officer was called to active military duty until the date the 
firefighter or policeman is covered by the military insurance 
provider, or for 30 days, whichever date is the earlier.
	(e)  An otherwise qualified fire fighter or police officer 
may voluntarily substitute, without restriction on the amount of 
time, for a fire fighter or police officer that is a reservist in 
one of the armed services of the United States of America who has 
been called to active duty for a period lasting 12 continuous months 
or longer.
	SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2003.