BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 1879

By: Smith

County Affairs

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Current law sets out continuing education requirements for county commissioners and provides for certain exemptions for county commissioners who serve in larger counties. Interested parties note that county commissioners in larger counties depend on large staffs to regularly keep them apprised of information related to local governance and that such commissioners who are also attorneys may be required to complete other continuing education requirements that may be relevant to county governance. Interested parties contend that these additional resources may provide information similar or sufficient to that provided by the continuing education required for a county commissioner. H.B. 1879 seeks to address this issue.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

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

H.B. 1879 amends the Local Government Code to require a county commissioner, for purposes of the exemption from continuing education requirements for a county commissioner serving in a county with a population of 1.3 million or more, as an alternative to having served continuously for 12 years or more, to be an attorney licensed to practice law in Texas for 12 years or more and have completed at least 64 hours of continuing education approved by the County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2015.