BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 3712

By: Bolton

Public Safety

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Like the Department of Public Safety's (DPS) troopers and communications personnel, security officers are classified as “mission essential.”  While troopers and communications personnel are granted compensatory time, per S.B. 609, 77th Legislature, Regular Session, 2001, and S.B. 255, 78th Legislature, Regular Session, 2003, security officers are not granted the same privilege.

Of the approximately 134 personnel involved, a small percentage of DPS security officers is affected each holiday by the sliding work week schedule. Under this schedule, an officer is off two to four weekends in a row, depending on the level of staffing, followed by four weeks of working six days between days off.

C.S.H.B. 3712 includes a DPS public security officer and a state employee employed by the Parks and Wildlife Department to perform certain duties who is required to work on a national or state holiday that falls on a Saturday or Sunday among the state employees entitled to compensatory time off at the rate of one hour for each hour worked on the holiday.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 3712 amends the Government Code to include a state employee who is employed by the Department of Public Safety as a public security officer or who is employed by the Parks and Wildlife Department to perform communications and dispatch services to assist the law enforcement officers commissioned by the Parks and Wildlife Commission in performing law enforcement duties, and who is required to work on a national or state holiday that falls on a Saturday or Sunday among the state employees entitled to compensatory time off at the rate of one hour for each hour worked on the holiday.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2009.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 3712 adds a provision not in the original including a state employee who is employed by the Parks and Wildlife Department to perform communications and dispatch services to assist the law enforcement officers commissioned by the Parks and Wildlife Commission in performing law enforcement duties and who is required to work on a national or state holiday that falls on a Saturday or Sunday among the state employees entitled to compensatory time off at the rate of one hour for each hour worked on the holiday.