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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to leave policy and procedures for state employees. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Chapter 661, Government Code, is amended by |
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adding Subchapter H to read as follows: |
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SUBCHAPTER H. STATE AGENCY LEAVE POLICY |
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Sec. 661.251. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "state |
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agency" has the meaning assigned by Section 661.001. |
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Sec. 661.252. AGENCY POLICY. (a) A state agency shall |
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adopt a policy governing leave for employees under this chapter. |
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(b) The policy must provide clear and objective guidelines |
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to establish under what circumstances an employee of the agency may |
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be entitled to or granted each type of leave provided by this |
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chapter. |
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(c) The state agency shall post the policy adopted under |
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this section on the agency's Internet website in a location easily |
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accessible by the agency's employees and the public. |
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SECTION 2. Section 661.902, Government Code, is amended by |
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amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (c) to read as |
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follows: |
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(b) The administrative head of an agency may determine that |
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a reason other than a reason [that] described by Subsection (a) is |
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sufficient for granting emergency leave. Subject to the provisions |
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of this subsection, the administrative head [and] shall grant an |
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emergency leave to an employee who the administrative head |
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determines has shown good cause for taking emergency leave. The |
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administrative head may not grant an emergency leave to an employee |
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under this subsection unless the administrative head believes in |
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good faith that the employee being granted the emergency leave |
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intends to return to the employee's position with the agency on |
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expiration of the period of emergency leave. |
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(c) Not later than October 1 of each year, the |
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administrative head of an agency shall report to the comptroller |
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the name and position of each employee of the agency who was granted |
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more than 32 hours of emergency leave during the previous state |
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fiscal year, the reason for which the employee was granted the |
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emergency leave, and the total number of hours of emergency leave |
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granted to the employee in that state fiscal year. |
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SECTION 3. Subchapter C, Chapter 2101, Government Code, is |
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amended by adding Section 2101.042 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 2101.042. LEAVE REPORTING. (a) As part of the |
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centralized accounting and payroll system or any successor system |
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used to implement the enterprise resource planning component of the |
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uniform statewide accounting project developed under Sections |
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2101.031, 2101.035, and 2101.036, the comptroller shall adopt a |
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uniform system for use by each state agency to report leave taken by |
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the agency's employees. The system adopted by the comptroller must |
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include standardized accounting codes for each type of leave |
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authorized under Chapter 661. |
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(b) Each state agency shall use the uniform system adopted |
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by the comptroller under this section. |
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SECTION 4. Section 661.902(b), Government Code, as amended |
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by this Act, applies only to a grant of emergency leave made on or |
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after the effective date of this Act. A grant of emergency leave |
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made before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in |
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effect on the date the emergency leave was granted, and the former |
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law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
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SECTION 5. The first report required under Section |
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661.902(c), Government Code, as added by this Act, is due October 1, |
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2017, and must cover the period from September 1, 2016, to August |
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31, 2017. |
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SECTION 6. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |