BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 2785

By: Alvarado

Urban Affairs

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

A fire department is required to provide a fire fighter 48-hour advance notice of certain grievance hearings, investigatory interrogations, and disciplinary meetings that the fire fighter is required or entitled to attend, but interested parties have raised concerns regarding such notice currently being delivered by phone or electronic mail as opposed to the once customary personal delivery of written notice. The parties contend that these delivery methods leave questions as to whether the fire fighter received or understood the correct information when given verbally over the phone or whether a fire fighter saw the notice sent by management via electronic mail if sent during a nonworking day. H.B. 2785 seeks to address this concern by amending the applicable law.

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. 2785 amends the Local Government Code to require the notice that a fire department in a municipality with a population of 1.5 million or more that has adopted the fire fighters' and police officers' civil service law is required to provide to a fire fighter regarding the time and location of a meeting or hearing relating to an internal departmental or other municipal investigation of the fire fighter, grievances filed by the fire fighter, or an opportunity to respond to charges against the fire fighter before termination to be personally delivered to the fire fighter or mailed by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the last home address provided by the fire fighter.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2015.