BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	H.B. 1828
89R5503 JDK-D	By: Orr et al. (Flores)
	Criminal Justice
	5/22/2025
	Engrossed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

H.B. 1828 would create a legislative leave pool program for Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) correctional officers.

Last session, a similar program for Texas game wardens was passed. Currently, state troopers are also allowed to pool up to eight hours of personal leave for legislative purposes. Correctional officers commissioned by the TDCJ would also benefit from having this opportunity available to them.

The bill would amend the Government Code to allow correctional officers to voluntarily transfer to a legislative leave pool up to eight hours of compensatory time or annual leave per year earned by the correctional officer. The bill would require TDCJ to adopt rules relating to the leave pool. H.B. 1828 authorizes a correctional officer employed by TDCJ to only withdraw time from the legislative leave pool in coordination with and with the consent of the president or designee of the association.

The bill prohibits a peace officer from drawing more than 80 hours from the pool in a 160-hour work cycle and from drawing more than 480 hours from the pool in a fiscal year.

Contribution of time to the legislative leave pool is on a voluntary basis only and there is no cost to the taxpayer.

H.B. 1828 amends current law relating to legislative leave for correctional officers employed by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

Rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the Texas Board of Criminal Justice in SECTION 1 (Section 493.0075, Government Code) of this bill.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Chapter 493, Government Code, by adding Section 493.0075, as follows:

Sec. 493.0075.� DONATION OF ACCRUED COMPENSATORY TIME OR ACCRUED ANNUAL LEAVE FOR LEGISLATIVE PURPOSES. (a) Requires the executive director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (executive director; TDCJ) to allow a correctional officer employed by TDCJ to voluntarily transfer to a legislative leave pool up to eight hours of compensatory time or annual leave per year earned by the correctional officer.

(b) Requires the executive director or the executive director's designee to administer the legislative leave pool.

(c) Requires the Texas Board of Criminal� Justice (TBCJ) to adopt rules and prescribe procedures relating to the operation of the legislative leave pool.

(d) Requires the executive director or the executive director's designee to credit the legislative leave pool with the amount of time contributed by a correctional officer employed by TDCJ and deduct a corresponding amount of time from the correctional officer's earned compensatory time or annual leave as if the correctional officer had used the time for personal purposes.

(e) Entitles a correctional officer employed by TDCJ to use time contributed to the legislative leave pool if the correctional officer uses the time for legislative leave on behalf of an association related to the correctional officer's employment with TDCJ, that has at least 5,000 active or retired members, and that is governed by a board of directors.

(f) Requires the executive director or the executive director's designee to transfer time from the pool to the correctional officer and credit the time to the correctional officer.

(g) Provides that a correctional officer employed by TDCJ is authorized only to withdraw time from the legislative leave pool in coordination with and with the consent of the president or designee of the association described in Subsection (e).� Prohibits a correctional officer from drawing more than 80 hours from the pool in a 160-hour work cycle and from drawing more than 480 hours from the pool in a fiscal year.

(h) Requires a correctional officer employed by TDCJ to use time from the legislative leave pool in accordance with rules adopted by TBCJ.

SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2025.