BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center S.B. 1723
AUTHOR'S/SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
In fiscal year 2002, correctional officers clocked 2.6 million hours of overtime worth $36.1 million. Two years ago, an overtime policy was adopted that places a 240-hour cap on authorized compensatory time and paid overtime. Last year the amount of clocked overtime dropped to 135,000 hours.
As proposed, S.B. 1723 seeks to address the shortage and high turnover rate of correctional officers in Texas by upgrading the compensatory and overtime system within the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Chapter 493, Government Code, by adding Section 493.0072, as follows:
Sec. 493.0072. HOURS OF WORK OF CORRECTIONS OFFICERS. (a) Prohibits a corrections officer from being required to work more hours during a calendar week than the number of hours in the normal workweek of the majority of other Texas Department of Criminal Justice (department) employees.
(b) Authorizes the department to require a corrections officer to work more hours than allowed by Subsection (a) if the department determines that an emergency exists that requires the officer to work extra hours.
(c) Requires a corrections officer who elects to work extra hours during a calendar week to be compensated on a basis consistent with overtime provisions of the department personnel policy.
SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2005.