78R8116 T

By:  Van de Putte                                                 S.B. No. 886



A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to a legislative leave time bank for peace officers and 
firefighters.
	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 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.  The employer shall establish and maintain a 
legislative leave time bank for each employee organization.
	(b)  The peace officer or fire fighter must authorize the 
donation in writing on a form provided by the employee organization 
and approved by the employer.  After receiving the signed 
authorization on an approved form, the employer shall 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)  Only a peace officer or fire fighter who is a member of 
an employee organization may use for legislative leave purposes the 
time donated to the legislative leave time bank of that employee 
organization.  A peace officer or fire fighter may use for 
legislative leave purposes the time donated under this section 
instead of reimbursing the employer under Section 614.005.
	(d)  A request to use for legislative leave purposes the time 
in an employee organization's legislative leave time bank must 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)  A legislative leave time bank authorized by this section 
is perpetual.  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)  The employer shall account for the time donated to the 
legislative leave time bank and used from the time bank.  The 
employer may:
		(1)  determine and credit the actual cash value of the 
donated time in the legislative leave time bank and determine and 
debit the actual cash value of time used from the time bank for 
legislative leave purposes; or
		(2)  credit and debit a legislative leave time bank on 
an hour-for-hour basis regardless of the cash value of the time 
donated or used.
	SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.