78R5614 KSD-F

By:  Gallegos                                                     S.B. No. 1029


A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to business leave time accounts for peace officers in certain municipalities and counties. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Chapter 180, Local Government Code, is amended by adding Section 180.005 to read as follows: Sec. 180.005. BUSINESS LEAVE TIME ACCOUNT FOR PEACE OFFICERS IN CERTAIN MUNICIPALITIES AND COUNTIES. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), this section applies only to a peace officer employed by: (1) a municipality with a population of 200,000 or more; or (2) a county with a population of 500,000 or more. (b) This section does not apply to a peace officer employed by a municipality: (1) to which Subchapter I or J, Chapter 143, applies; or (2) that has adopted Chapter 174. (c) In this section: (1) "Business leave" means leave taken for the purpose of attending to the business of an employee organization. (2) "Peace officer" means a person who is a peace officer under Article 2.12, Code of Criminal Procedure. (d) A peace officer may donate not more than two hours each month of accumulated vacation or compensatory time to the business leave time account of an employee organization. The municipality or county shall establish and maintain a business leave time account for each employee organization. (e) The peace officer must authorize the donation in writing on a form provided by the employee organization and approved by the municipality or county. After receiving the signed authorization on an approved form, the municipality or county shall transfer donated time to the account monthly until the municipality or county receives the peace officer's written revocation of the authorization. (f) Only a peace officer who is a member of an employee organization may use for business leave purposes the time donated to the account of that employee organization. A peace officer may use for business leave purposes the time donated under this section without receiving a reduction in salary and without reimbursing the municipality or county. (g) A request to use for business leave purposes the time in an employee organization's time account must be in writing and submitted to the municipality or county by the president or the equivalent officer of the employee organization or by that officer's designee. (h) The municipality or county shall grant a request for business leave that complies with Subsection (g) unless: (1) denial of the request is necessary because of an emergency; or (2) a grant of the request will result in having an insufficient number of peace officers to carry out the normal functions of the municipality or county. (i) The municipality or county shall account for the time donated to the account and used from the account. The municipality or county shall credit and debit the account on an hour-for-hour basis regardless of the cash value of the time donated or used. (j) An employee organization may not use for business leave purposes more than 4,000 hours from its business leave time account under this section in a calendar year. This subsection does not prevent an employee organization from accumulating more than 4,000 hours. (k) A peace officer may: (1) use business leave under this section for legislative leave purposes in lieu of following the procedures prescribed by Subchapter A, Chapter 614, Government Code, or another legislative leave statute; or (2) take legislative leave under Subchapter A, Chapter 614, Government Code, or another applicable legislative leave statute. (l) The use of business leave by a peace officer under this section is not a break in service for any purpose and is treated as any other paid leave. SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2003.