By: Averitt  S.B. No. 817
         (In the Senate - Filed February 22, 2007; March 7, 2007,
  read first time and referred to Committee on Education;
  April 19, 2007, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 6,
  Nays 0; April 19, 2007, sent to printer.)
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
 
  relating to the use of personal leave by a public school employee.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 22.003, Education Code, is amended by
  amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (f) to read as
  follows:
         (a)  A state minimum personal leave program consisting of
  five days per year personal leave with no limit on accumulation and
  transferable among districts shall be provided for school district
  employees. School districts may provide additional personal leave
  beyond this minimum. The board of trustees of a school district may
  adopt a policy governing an employee's use of personal leave
  granted under this subsection, except that the policy may not
  restrict:
               (1)  the purposes for which the leave may be used; or
               (2)  the order in which an employee may use the state
  minimum personal leave and any additional personal leave provided
  by the school district.
         (f)  A public school employee who retains any sick leave
  accumulated under former Section 13.904(a), as that section existed
  on January 1, 1995, is entitled to use the sick leave provided under
  that section or the personal leave provided under Subsection (a) in
  any order to the extent that the leave the employee uses is
  appropriate to the purpose of the leave.
         SECTION 2.  This Act applies beginning with the 2007-2008
  school year.
         SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
  a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
  provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
  Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
  Act takes effect September 1, 2007.
 
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