BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 840

By: Moody

County Affairs

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

It has been noted that the process for the selection of the public members of a county salary grievance committee, which involves the random drawing of physical paper slips bearing applicable names, is antiquated and needlessly time-consuming. H.B. 840 seeks to address this issue by setting out an optional alternative process that uses a computer to generate a randomized list of applicable names.

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. 840 amends the Local Government Code to set out a process for the selection of the public members of a county salary grievance committee that a county may use as an alternative to the random drawing of paper slips. The bill, in establishing this alternative process, authorizes a county commissioners court to direct the county clerk to use a computer to generate a randomized list of the names of all persons who served on a grand jury in the county during the preceding calendar year and requires the commissioners court to take the following actions at the meeting for the selection of the public members:

· adopt the randomized list;

· enter the list into the minutes of the meeting; and

· select, in the order of the list, the necessary number of public members and alternates.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2021.