| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to differential pay and benefits for certain employees of |
|
|
emergency services districts who are members of the military. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 431, Government Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 431.019 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 431.019. DIFFERENTIAL PAY AND BENEFITS FOR EMPLOYEES |
|
|
OF EMERGENCY SERVICES DISTRICTS. (a) Except as provided by |
|
|
Subsection (b), a person who is an officer or employee of an |
|
|
emergency services district and who is a member of the state |
|
|
military forces or a reserve component of the state or federal armed |
|
|
forces may be provided differential pay, provided that the |
|
|
governing body of the district, in its sole discretion, votes to |
|
|
provide such differential pay and the employee's military pay is |
|
|
less than the employee's gross pay from the emergency services |
|
|
district, through a policy covering all similarly situated |
|
|
employees. The combination of differential pay and military pay |
|
|
may not exceed the employee's actual gross pay from the emergency |
|
|
services district. |
|
|
(b) For purposes of Subsection (a), military pay does not |
|
|
include money the employee receives: |
|
|
(1) for service in a combat zone; |
|
|
(2) as hardship pay; or |
|
|
(3) for being separated from the employee's family. |
|
|
(c) The differential pay provided by Subsection (a) shall |
|
|
begin when the benefits allowed under Section 431.005 are exhausted |
|
|
and continue until the employee's active military duty terminates. |
|
|
(d) In addition to the differential pay provided by |
|
|
Subsection (a), an employee of an emergency services district who |
|
|
is a member of the state military forces or a reserve component of |
|
|
the state or federal armed forces may be provided an extension of |
|
|
the employee's and the employee's dependents' insurance benefits |
|
|
provided by the political subdivision if the governing body of the |
|
|
district votes to provide such benefit. The time period for |
|
|
extension of these insurance benefits shall begin when the benefits |
|
|
allowed under Section 431.005 are exhausted and continue until the |
|
|
employee's active military duty terminates. |
|
|
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2011. |