BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

 

C.S.H.B. 1254

By: Pickett

Border & Intergovernmental Affairs

Committee Report (Substituted)

 

 

 

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

 

Interested parties report that each school district in a certain county employs its own peace officers.  The goal of C.S.H.B. 1254 is to address this situation by adding a provision to current law relating to certain school districts' consideration of the consolidation of school district employment of peace officers and security personnel.

 

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. 1254 amends the Education Code to add temporary provisions, set to expire September 1, 2012, to require school districts in a county with a population of 800,000 or more located adjacent to an international border, not later than January 1, 2012, to meet and discuss countywide consolidation of school district employment of peace officers and security personnel. The bill requires the districts to collect and review information related to the employment of peace officers and security personnel by each district and discuss the feasibility and advisability of consolidating that employment. The bill requires the districts, not later than May 1, 2012, to provide a joint report to the commissioner of education summarizing the information collected and reviewed and providing recommendations concerning the feasibility and advisability of countywide consolidation of school district employment of peace officers and security personnel based on the discussions.

 

EFFECTIVE DATE

 

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2011.

 

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

 

C.S.H.B. 1254 differs from the original by making its provisions applicable to a county with a population of 800,000 or more, rather than a county with a population of 750,000 or more, as in the original. The substitute omits provisions included in the original requiring the comptroller of public accounts to conduct an audit of school districts in such a county to the extent necessary to determine each district's need to employ peace officers or security personnel, requiring the comptroller to provide the results of the audit to each district in the county, and specifying a deadline for school districts in the county to meet after the comptroller provides the results of such an audit to those districts. The substitute differs from the original by applying a deadline of not later than January 1, 2012, to the requirement that each district meet and discuss countywide consolidation of school district employment of peace officers and security personnel, whereas the original applies such a deadline to the requirement that the comptroller conduct an audit of the school districts. The substitute differs from the original by requiring each school district to collect and review information related to the employment of peace officers and security personnel by each district, whereas the original requires each district to review that information as provided in the comptroller's audit.

 

C.S.H.B. 1254 differs from the original by requiring the school districts, not later than May 1, 2012, to provide a joint report to the commissioner of education, whereas the original requires the districts to provide the joint report not later than the 90th day after the date the school districts complete discussions, and with the comptroller's audit attached as an addendum. The substitute differs from the original by setting its provisions to expire on September 1, 2012, rather than on September 1, 2013, as in the original. The substitute differs from the original in nonsubstantive ways by using language reflective of certain bill drafting conventions.