BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 829

By: Blanco

Defense & Veterans' Affairs

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

According to interested parties, a state employee who is reemployed by a state agency after military service should be granted leave to tend to matters relating to the employee's military service or reintegration into civilian life. H.B. 829 seeks to achieve this goal by allowing veterans reemployed by a state agency to be granted a certain amount of leave for such purposes.

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. 829 amends the Government Code to authorize a state employee who is reemployed by a state agency after military service to be granted leave to tend to matters relating to the employee's military service or reintegration into civilian life, including obtaining medical or mental health care and receiving employee assistance counseling. The bill limits such leave to a maximum of 15 days each fiscal year without a deduction in salary or loss of vacation time, sick leave, earned overtime credit, or state compensatory time but authorizes the administrative head of a state agency to annually grant additional days of such veteran-related leave as the administrative head determines appropriate for the employee.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2017.