BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 41

By: Metcalf

State Affairs

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

There have been calls to extend the entitlement of certain state employees who are volunteer firefighters or emergency medical services volunteers to take paid leave for related training and in responding to certain emergency situations to certain state employees who are search and rescue volunteers heeding the calls for help in the event of a disaster. H.B. 41 seeks to provide for this extended entitlement.

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. 41 amends the Government Code to entitle a state employee employed in the executive or judicial branch of state government who without remuneration, except reimbursement for expenses, provides services for or on behalf of an organization that conducts search and rescue activities to a leave of absence without a deduction in salary, capped at five working days in a fiscal year, to attend search and rescue training conducted by an applicable state agency or institution of higher education. The bill authorizes an applicable state agency or institution of higher education to grant such an employee leave without a deduction in salary for the purpose of allowing the employee to respond to search and rescue situations if the agency or institution has an established policy for granting that leave.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2019.