| TO: | Honorable Robert Duncan, Chair, Senate Committee on State Affairs |
| FROM: | Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | HB480 by Alvarado (Relating to the use of sick leave by state employees who are attending educational activities of their children.), As Engrossed |
The bill would amend Section 661.206 of Government Code, allowing state employees up to eight hours of sick leave per fiscal year to attend educational activities of the employee's children. Currently employees may use 8 hours of sick leave for parent-teacher conferences; the bill would expand this to include tutoring, field trips, and volunteer, classroom, athletic, music, or theater programs.
Based on enrollment of children in the group health plan run by the Employees Retirement System, a little less than 40 percent of employees have dependent children. Some children would be too old or young for the provisions to apply, and not all parents would take a full 8 hours of sick leave each year. The LBB estimates that on average, the provisions of the bill would result in state employees using an additional hour of sick leave per year.
In most cases agencies could function without the services of employees on their time off, which would be limited to a maximum of 8 hours per year. In situations where another employee had to work extra to cover the lost time, that employee would accrue compensatory time. If they were able to use the compensatory time, there would be no cost; if they were unable to use it, the compensatory time would lapse.
| Source Agencies: | 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts, 308 State Auditor's Office
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| LBB Staff: | UP, AG, SD, WM
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