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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the amount of sick leave for police officers employed by |
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certain municipalities. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Subsection (i), Section 143.3015, Local |
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Government Code, is amended to read as follows: |
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(i) Notwithstanding Subsections (a) and (h), a municipality |
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with a population of less than 560,000 that has not recognized an |
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association as the sole and exclusive bargaining agent as provided |
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by Section 143.304 before September 1, 2005, may adopt rules for |
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police officers converting vacation and sick leave days to hours |
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that supersede [supercede] the provisions of Section 142.0013, |
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Section 143.045, and Section 143.046 provided that: |
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(1) [(A)] A police officer is entitled to earn 120 |
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hours of vacation leave each year with pay, as a minimum, if the |
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officer has been regularly employed in the department or |
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departments for at least one year. |
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(2) [(B)] In computing the length of time a police |
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officer may be absent from work on vacation leave, only those hours |
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that the person would have been required to work if not on vacation |
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may be counted as vacation leave. |
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(3) [(C)] A police officer shall be granted the same |
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number of vacation hours and holiday hours, or hours in lieu of |
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vacation hours or holiday hours, granted to other municipal |
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employees who work the same number of hours in a regular work day |
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and have worked for the municipality for the same number of years. |
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(4) [(D)] A police officer shall be granted sick leave |
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with pay accumulated at the rate of 10 [4.61] hours for each full |
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month employed in a calendar year, so as to total 120 hours to the |
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person's credit each 12 months. |
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(5) [(E)] A police officer who leaves the classified |
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service for any reason is entitled to receive in a lump-sum payment |
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the full amount of the person's salary for accumulated sick leave if |
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the person has accumulated not more than 720 hours of sick leave, |
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the person's employer may limit payment to the amount that the |
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person would have received if the person had been allowed to use 720 |
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hours of accumulated sick leave during the last six months of |
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employment. The lump-sum payment is computed by compensating the |
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police officer for the accumulated time at the highest permanent |
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pay classification for which the person was eligible during the |
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last six months of employment. The police officer is paid for the |
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same period for which the person had taken the sick leave but does |
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not include additional holidays and any sick leave or vacation time |
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that the person might have accrued during the 720 hours. |
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SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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Act takes effect September 1, 2007. |