By: Hegar S.B. No. 503
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to funding for the continuing education of certain peace
officers.
       BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
       SECTION 1.  Subsections (a) and (b), Section 1701.157,
Occupations Code, are amended to read as follows:
       (a)  Not later than March 1 of each calendar year, the
comptroller shall allocate money deposited during the preceding
calendar year in the general revenue fund to the credit of the law
enforcement officer standards and education fund account for
expenses related to the continuing education of persons licensed
under this chapter as follows:
             (1)  20 percent of the money is allocated to [all] local
law enforcement agencies in this state that meet the eligibility
requirements described by Subsection (b) in equal shares; and
             (2)  80 percent of the money is allocated to [all] local
law enforcement agencies in this state that meet the eligibility
requirements described by Subsection (b) in a share representing a
fixed amount for each position in the agency, as of January 1 of the
preceding calendar year, that is reserved to a person who:
                   (A)  is licensed under this chapter;
                   (B)  works as a peace officer on the average of at
least 32 hours a week; and
                   (C)  is compensated by a political subdivision of
this state at least at the minimum wage and is entitled to all
employee benefits offered to a peace officer by the political
subdivision.
       (b)  To be eligible for an allocation of money under
Subsection (a), a [Not later than November 1 of each calendar year,
each] local law enforcement agency must [shall] report to the
comptroller not later than November 1 of the preceding calendar
year:
             (1)  the number of agency positions described by
Subsection (a)(2) reserved as of January 1 of the [that] year the
report is due;
             (2)  the number of agency positions described by
Subsection (a)(2) filled as of January 1 of the year the report is
due;
             (3)  the percentage of the money received by the agency
under Subsection (a) pursuant to the allocation made by the
comptroller on or before March 1 of the year preceding the year in
which the report is due that was used by the agency before the date
of the allocation made by the comptroller under Subsection (a) on or
before March 1 of the year the report is due;
             (4)  the number of training hours received during the
12-month or approximately 12-month period described by Subdivision
(3) that were funded by money received by the agency pursuant to the
allocation made by the comptroller on or before March 1 of the year
preceding the year in which the report is due; and
             (5)  that the agency has complied with the requirements
of this section regarding the use of any money received by the
agency pursuant to the allocation made by the comptroller on or
before March 1 of the year preceding the year in which the report is
due.
       SECTION 2.  The changes in law made by this Act to Section
1701.157, Occupations Code, apply to allocations made on or after
January 1, 2009. Allocations made before that date are governed by
the law in effect immediately before the effective date of this Act,
and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
       SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2007.