By:  Barrientos                                                   S.B. No. 1673

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the creation of a sheriff's department civil service system in certain counties. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 158, Local Government Code, is amended by adding Section 158.0025 to read as follows: Sec. 158.0025. CREATION OF SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT CIVIL SERVICE SYSTEM IN CERTAIN COUNTIES NOT COVERED BY SUBCHAPTER B. (a) This section applies only to a county with a population of 200,000 or more, other than: (1) a county that has created a civil service system under this subchapter to include those employees of the county described by Section 158.002; or (2) a county in which the sheriff's department is eligible to create a civil service system under Subchapter B. (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this subchapter, the commissioners court of a county to which this section applies may create a civil service system under this section to include only the employees of the sheriff's department of the county. (c) A sheriff's department civil service system may be created under this section by an order in accordance with Section 158.003 or by an election in accordance with Section 158.004. (d) Notwithstanding Section 158.005(b), if an election is ordered under Section 158.004 on the question of the creation of a sheriff's department civil service system under this section, the commissioners court shall order the ballot at the election to be printed to provide voting for or against the proposition: "Creation of a civil service system for the sheriff's department of the county." (e) Notwithstanding Section 158.014(c), if an election is called to determine whether a sheriff's department civil service system created under this section will be dissolved under that section, the commissioners court shall order the ballot at the election to be printed to provide voting for or against the proposition: "Dissolution of the civil service system for the sheriff's department of the county." (f) Sections 158.0065 and 158.007 do not apply to a sheriff's department civil service system created under this section. (g) Except as otherwise provided by this section, the provisions of this subchapter that would govern the operation of a civil service system created for all employees of a county under this chapter apply to the operation of a civil service system created for the employees of the sheriff's department of a county under this section. SECTION 2. The heading to Subchapter B, Chapter 158, Local Government Code, is amended to read as follows:
SUBCHAPTER B. SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT CIVIL SERVICE SYSTEM IN CERTAIN COUNTIES
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2005.