BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center S.B. 1453
AUTHOR'S/SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
Among the counties that have adopted the Fire and Police Employee Relations Act, Bexar County is one of a few where deputy sheriffs follow one of two separate career paths or tiers: detention (corrections) and law enforcement (patrol officers). The two groups are not homogenous in their needs and one group cannot adequately represent the other, and, in Bexar County, each group has formed its own member organization. Current law does not adequately protect law enforcement organizations with two or more professional tiers in regards to collective bargaining status within their respective counties.
As proposed, S.B. 1453 authorizes a commissioners court in a county with a population of one million or more to recognize corrections and patrol officers employed by a sheriff's department as separate collective bargaining units.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter D, Chapter 174, Local Government Code, by adding Section 174.1025, as follows:
Sec. 174.1025. RECOGNITION OF CERTAIN OFFICERS AS SEPARATE BARGAINING UNITS IN CERTAIN COUNTIES. (a) Provides that this section applies only to a county with a population of one million or more that adopted this chapter after January 1, 2004, and in which the sheriff's department has created a civil service system under Subchapter B, Chapter 158.
(b) Authorizes the commissioners court or other applicable public employer of a county to which this section applies to recognize as separate collective bargaining units certain officers employed by the sheriff's department.
SECTION 2. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2005.