| TO: | Honorable Garnet Coleman, Chair, House Committee on County Affairs |
| FROM: | John S O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | HB1659 by Davis, Yvonne (Relating to conditions of employment for an employee of certain sheriff's departments.), As Introduced |
The bill would add Subchapter C to Chapter 158, Local Government Code, to authorize counties that the county and an association representing employees of the sheriff's office may establish a meet and confer agreement .
The bill would setforth the procedures for establishing, and those for repealing, an agreement between a county and an employee association and specifies that a county may not be denied local control over
wages, salaries, rates of pay, hours of work, other terms and conditions of employment, or other state
mandated personnel issues.
A state district court of a judicial district in which the county is located would have jurisdiction to hear and resolve a dispute under the ratified agreement.
The fiscal impact would vary depending on whether meet and confer is established and the conditions of an agreement, as well as whether an election is held to repeal an agreement. Any impact to the courts would depend on the number of disputes, although it is anticipated that associated costs would not be significant.
Bexar County reported there would be no fiscal impact because the county currently has collective bargaining for the sheriff.
According to information provided by the Texas Association of Counties (TAC), there could be a fiscal impact for some counties.
Dallas County reported the bill would not have a fiscal impact unless an election was held to repeal the recognition of an employee association which would result in an estimated cost of $1.3 million.
Harris County reported there could be estimated costs of $2.0 million for additional fixed operational and variable administrative costs of implementing changes for the sheriff’s office. In addition, salary mandates as a result of a meet and confer agreement could add to these costs.
| Source Agencies: |
| LBB Staff: | JOB, KKR, SD, TP
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