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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the salaries of members of certain municipal police |
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departments and to state assistance payments to offset the cost of |
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those salaries. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Chapter 141, Local Government Code, is amended |
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by adding Subchapter C to read as follows: |
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SUBCHAPTER C. MINIMUM SALARY OF POLICE DEPARTMENT MEMBERS IN |
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CERTAIN MUNICIPALITIES |
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Sec. 141.051. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, |
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"dishonorably discharged" has the meaning assigned by Section |
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1701.452, Occupations Code. |
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Sec. 141.052. APPLICABILITY. This subchapter applies only |
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to a municipality with a population of 5,000 or less. |
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Sec. 141.053. MINIMUM SALARY; ELIGIBILITY. (a) |
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Notwithstanding any other law, the governing body of a municipality |
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shall provide for each municipal fiscal year a salary of at least |
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$55,000 to each eligible member of the police department. |
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(b) To be eligible for the minimum salary under this |
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section, a member of the police department must: |
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(1) be a full-time employee; and |
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(2) annually file with the municipality an affidavit |
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in the form and manner prescribed by the municipality stating that |
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the member: |
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(A) has never been dishonorably discharged by any |
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law enforcement agency; and |
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(B) is not currently under investigation for |
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alleged misconduct for which the member may be dishonorably |
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discharged. |
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Sec. 141.054. STATE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO PAY MINIMUM |
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SALARIES. (a) To serve the state purpose of ensuring professional |
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law enforcement throughout the state, a municipality is entitled to |
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an assistance payment from the state for each municipal fiscal year |
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to assist the municipality in paying the minimum salary required by |
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Section 141.053 for each eligible member of the police department |
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in the municipality. A municipality is entitled to the assistance |
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payment in an amount that equals the difference of $55,000 and the |
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member's salary as paid by the municipality. |
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(b) The governing body of the municipality may not reduce |
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the portion of a salary paid to a member of the police department by |
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the municipality as a result of receiving an assistance payment for |
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that member. |
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(c) Not later than the 30th day after the first day of a |
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municipality's fiscal year, the municipality must submit an |
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application to the comptroller in the form and manner prescribed by |
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comptroller rule to receive the assistance payment. The |
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application must include an affidavit described by Section |
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141.053(b)(2) for each member of the police department in the |
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municipality for whom the municipality is applying for an |
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assistance payment. |
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(d) The comptroller shall remit the applicable assistance |
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payment to which a municipality is entitled from available state |
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money not later than the 30th day after the date the comptroller |
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receives the municipality's completed application for the |
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assistance payment. |
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(e) The comptroller shall adopt rules necessary to |
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implement this section. |
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SECTION 2. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to |
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a municipal fiscal year that begins on or after January 1, 2024. |
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SECTION 3. Not later than January 1, 2024, the comptroller |
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of public accounts shall adopt rules as required by Section |
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141.054(e), Local Government Code, as added by this Act. |
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SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |