BILL ANALYSIS
By: Harper-Brown
Committee Report (Substituted)
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Currently, persons appointed to fire or police departments serve on probationary status for 52 weeks or one year from the date of hire. This probationary period includes 18 weeks of basic training, 15 weeks of field training with an officer and up to an additional 8 hours of classroom training at the discretion of the department. The remaining probationary period allows only 9 weeks of departmental evaluation as the new officer or firefighter acts in full capacity.
As proposed, C.S.H.B. 148 would amend the Local Government Code to allow the civil service commissions within each municipality to extend the probationary period up to six additional months for new police and firefighter recruits.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS
Amends Section 143.027(a) of the Local Government Code to allow a municipalities' civil service commission to extend for up to six months the probationary period of a person appointed to a beginning position in police and fire department's of municipalities with a population greater than 10,000.
The change in law applies only to those persons whose date of employment is on or after the effective date of this act.
EFFECTIVE DATE
This Act takes effect September 1, 2005 or immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.
COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE
The original version of the bill required that all recruits serve for an 18 month probationary period. The substitute permits the probationary period to be extended up to 6 additional months as determined by commission rules, rather than requiring that all police and firefighter recruits serve an 18 month probationary period.