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AN ACT
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relating to coverage under a meet and confer agreement for certain  | 
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municipal firefighters and police officers. | 
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       BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | 
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       SECTION 1.  Section 147.002, Local Government Code, is  | 
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amended to read as follows: | 
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       Sec. 147.002.  DEFINITIONS.  In this chapter: | 
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             (1)  "Firefighter" means a firefighter employed by the  | 
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municipality who is covered by the municipality's fire pension plan  | 
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and is classified by the municipality as nonexempt [exempt].  The  | 
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term does not include a firefighter with a rank that is above that  | 
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of battalion chief or section chief. | 
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             (2)  "Firefighter employee group" means an  | 
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organization: | 
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                   (A)  in which, on or before September 1, 2007, | 
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firefighters of the municipality have participated and paid dues  | 
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via automatic payroll deduction [for at least one year]; and | 
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                   (B)  that exists for the purpose, in whole or in  | 
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part, of dealing with the municipality concerning grievances, labor  | 
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disputes, wages, rates of pay, hours of employment, or conditions  | 
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of employment affecting firefighters. | 
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             (3)  "Police officer" means a sworn police officer  | 
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employed by the municipality who is covered by the municipality's  | 
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police pension plan and is classified by the municipality as  | 
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nonexempt [exempt].  The term does not include a police officer with  | 
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a rank above that of captain, a civilian, or a municipal marshal. | 
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             (4)  "Police officer employee group" means an  | 
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organization: | 
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                   (A)  in which, on or before September 1, 2007, at  | 
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least three percent of the police officers of the municipality have  | 
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participated and paid dues via automatic payroll deduction [for at 
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least one year]; and | 
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                   (B)  that exists for the purpose, in whole or in  | 
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part, of dealing with the municipality concerning grievances, labor  | 
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disputes, wages, rates of pay, hours of employment, or conditions  | 
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of employment affecting police officers. | 
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       SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2009. | 
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______________________________ | 
______________________________ | 
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   President of the Senate | 
Speaker of the House      | 
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       I certify that H.B. No. 2307 was passed by the House on April  | 
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28, 2009, by the following vote:  Yeas 149, Nays 0, 1 present, not  | 
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voting. | 
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______________________________ | 
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Chief Clerk of the House    | 
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       I certify that H.B. No. 2307 was passed by the Senate on May  | 
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27, 2009, by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0. | 
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______________________________ | 
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Secretary of the Senate     | 
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APPROVED:  _____________________ | 
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                   Date           | 
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          _____________________ | 
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                 Governor        |