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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to limitations on the issuance of certain one-time merit |
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payments by state agencies under the direction of an elected |
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officer. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 659.255, Government Code, is amended by |
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amending Subsection (f) and adding Subsection (h) to read as |
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follows: |
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(f) Except as provided by Subsection (h), a [A] state agency |
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may make a one-time merit payment to a classified employee in |
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relation to the employee's performance in the current classified |
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position held by the employee if: |
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(1) the employee has been employed by the agency in |
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that position for at least six continuous months before the |
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effective date of the payment; |
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(2) the effective date of the payment is at least six |
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months after the effective date of the employee's last: |
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(A) promotion; or |
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(B) merit salary increase for performance in that |
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position; |
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(3) the agency has complied with Subsection (c); |
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(4) the employee's job performance and productivity in |
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that position are consistently above that normally expected or |
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required; and |
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(5) the effective date of the payment is at least six |
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months after the effective date of the agency's last: |
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(A) payment to the employee of an enhanced |
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compensation award authorized by the General Appropriations Act; or |
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(B) one-time merit payment for performance in |
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that position. |
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(h) A state agency under the direction of an elected officer |
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may not make a one-time merit payment to a classified employee |
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within six months after the date on which the officer first assumes |
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the duties of the office. |
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SECTION 2. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to |
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a state officer who assumes office on or after the effective date of |
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this Act. A state officer who assumed office before the effective |
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date of this Act is subject to the law in effect at the time the |
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officer assumed office, and the current law is continued in effect |
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for that purpose. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |