BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 2270

By: Miles

Pensions, Investments & Financial Services

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

It has been noted that current law authorizes university medical or dental units to give full-time employee benefits to certain nurses who work less than 40 hours per week, but that since this authority does not extend to other employees, those benefits cannot be offered to encourage recruitment and retention for positions such as pharmacists and physician assistants. S.B. 2270 seeks to address this issue by providing for the designation of any person employed by a medical and dental unit for patient care or clinical activities as a full-time employee for benefits purposes, subject to certain funding conditions.

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

S.B. 2270 amends the Education Code to expand the requirement for the president of a medical and dental unit to determine whether a nurse employed by the unit for patient care or clinical activities is a full-time employee for purposes of employees group benefits under the Texas Employees Group Benefits Act or the State University Employees Uniform Insurance Benefits Act, leave, and longevity pay by requiring such a determination for any person employed by the unit for patient care or clinical activities.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2019.