By: Hegar  S.B. No. 503
         (In the Senate - Filed February 7, 2007; February 21, 2007,
  read first time and referred to Committee on Education;
  March 14, 2007, rereferred to Committee on Criminal Justice;
  April 27, 2007, reported adversely, with favorable Committee
  Substitute by the following vote:  Yeas 5, Nays 0; April 27, 2007,
  sent to printer.)
 
  COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 503 By:  Hegar
 
 
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 calendar [that]
  year covered by the report;
               (2)  the number of agency positions described by
  Subsection (a)(2) filled as of January 1 of the calendar year
  covered by the report;
               (3)  the percentage of any money received by the agency
  under Subsection (a) in the calendar year preceding the calendar
  year covered by the report that was used by the agency during the
  calendar year preceding the calendar year covered by the report;
               (4)  the number of training hours received through the
  use of any money received by the agency under Subsection (a) in the
  calendar year preceding the calendar year covered by the report;
  and
               (5)  that the agency has complied with all applicable
  laws regarding the use of any money received by the agency under
  Subsection (a) in the calendar year preceding the calendar year
  covered by the report.
         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, 2008, for expenses incurred by local law enforcement
  agencies during calendar year 2007.
         SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2007.
 
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