| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to compensation and benefits for commissioned peace |
|
|
officers employed by the attorney general. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Section 402.009, Government Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 402.009. AUTHORITY TO EMPLOY AND COMMISSION PEACE |
|
|
OFFICERS. (a) The attorney general may employ and commission peace |
|
|
officers as investigators for the limited purpose of assisting the |
|
|
attorney general in carrying out the duties of that office relating |
|
|
to prosecution assistance and crime prevention. |
|
|
(b) The attorney general shall ensure that an investigator |
|
|
employed as authorized under Subsection (a) is compensated |
|
|
according to Schedule C of the position classification salary |
|
|
schedule prescribed by the General Appropriations Act. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Section 659.301(5), Government Code, is amended |
|
|
to read as follows: |
|
|
(5) "State employee" means an individual who: |
|
|
(A) is a commissioned law enforcement officer of |
|
|
the Department of Public Safety, the Texas Facilities Commission, |
|
|
the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, [or] the Texas Department |
|
|
of Criminal Justice, or the attorney general; |
|
|
(B) is a commissioned security officer of the |
|
|
comptroller; |
|
|
(C) is a law enforcement officer commissioned by |
|
|
the Parks and Wildlife Commission; |
|
|
(D) is a commissioned peace officer of an |
|
|
institution of higher education; |
|
|
(E) is an employee or official of the Board of |
|
|
Pardons and Paroles or the parole division of the Texas Department |
|
|
of Criminal Justice if the employee or official has routine direct |
|
|
contact with inmates of any penal or correctional institution or |
|
|
with administratively released prisoners subject to the board's |
|
|
jurisdiction; |
|
|
(F) has been certified to the Employees |
|
|
Retirement System of Texas under Section 815.505 as having begun |
|
|
employment as a law enforcement officer or custodial officer, |
|
|
unless the individual has been certified to the system as having |
|
|
ceased employment as a law enforcement officer or custodial |
|
|
officer; or |
|
|
(G) before May 29, 1987, received hazardous duty |
|
|
pay based on the terms of any state law if the individual holds a |
|
|
position designated under that law as eligible for the pay. |
|
|
SECTION 3. Section 811.001(9), Government Code, is amended |
|
|
to read as follows: |
|
|
(9) "Law enforcement officer" means a member of the |
|
|
retirement system who: |
|
|
(A) has been commissioned as a law enforcement |
|
|
officer by the Department of Public Safety, the Texas Alcoholic |
|
|
Beverage Commission, the Parks and Wildlife Department, [or] the |
|
|
office of inspector general at the Texas Youth Commission, or the |
|
|
attorney general; and |
|
|
(B) is recognized as a commissioned law |
|
|
enforcement officer by the Commission on Law Enforcement Officer |
|
|
Standards and Education. |
|
|
SECTION 4. Section 814.104(b), Government Code, is amended |
|
|
to read as follows: |
|
|
(b) A member who is at least 55 years old and who has at |
|
|
least 10 years of service credit as a commissioned peace officer |
|
|
engaged in criminal law enforcement activities of the Department of |
|
|
Public Safety, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, the Parks |
|
|
and Wildlife Department, [or] the office of inspector general at |
|
|
the Texas Youth Commission, or the attorney general, or as a |
|
|
custodial officer, is eligible to retire and receive a service |
|
|
retirement annuity. |
|
|
SECTION 5. Section 814.1075(b), Government Code, is amended |
|
|
to read as follows: |
|
|
(b) A member who has at least 20 years of service credit as a |
|
|
law enforcement or custodial officer, including any law enforcement |
|
|
officer as defined by Section 811.001(9), is eligible to retire |
|
|
regardless of age and receive a standard service retirement annuity |
|
|
as provided by this section. |
|
|
SECTION 6. Section 815.505, Government Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 815.505. CERTIFICATION OF NAMES OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND |
|
|
CUSTODIAL OFFICERS. Not later than the 12th day of the month |
|
|
following the month in which a person begins or ceases employment as |
|
|
a law enforcement officer or custodial officer, the Public Safety |
|
|
Commission, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, the Parks and |
|
|
Wildlife Commission, the office of inspector general at the Texas |
|
|
Youth Commission, the Board of Pardons and Paroles, the attorney |
|
|
general, or the Texas Board of Criminal Justice, as applicable, |
|
|
shall certify to the retirement system, in the manner prescribed by |
|
|
the system, the name of the employee and such other information as |
|
|
the system determines is necessary for the crediting of service and |
|
|
financing of benefits under this subtitle. |
|
|
SECTION 7. (a) The attorney general shall begin making |
|
|
deductions and collecting the contributions for the law enforcement |
|
|
and custodial officer supplemental retirement fund as provided by |
|
|
Section 815.402(h), Government Code, beginning with the first pay |
|
|
period that occurs after December 31, 2013. |
|
|
(b) The board of trustees of the Employees Retirement System |
|
|
of Texas shall adopt rules as soon as possible after the effective |
|
|
date of this Act to implement Section 814.1075, Government Code, as |
|
|
amended by this Act. |
|
|
SECTION 8. This Act takes effect September 1, 2013. |