BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 2513

By: Tepper

Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Current law entitles certain public employees who engage in certain military service to a paid leave of absence of up to 15 days to engage in authorized training or duty. The bill author has informed the committee that firefighters often work weekends with shifts that cover multiple days, resulting in the accelerated use of those 15 days, and that firefighters often use their own paid time off to meet their military requirements. C.S.H.B. 2513 seeks to ensure that a 24-hour or 48-hour firefighter shift only counts as one workday regardless of how many days the shift covers.

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

C.S.H.B. 2513 amends the Government Code to establish that a 24-hour or 48-hour work shift constitutes one workday for purposes of calculating the payment amount for a paid leave of absence from duties for qualifying military service in a fiscal year for a person classified as fire protection personnel who is an officer or employee of the state or a political subdivision and who is a member of the Texas military forces, a reserve component of the armed forces, or a member of a state or federally authorized urban search and rescue team. The bill defines "fire protection personnel" by reference to the definition of that term under statutory provisions relating to the regulation of fire fighters and fire departments.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2025.

COMPARISON OF INTRODUCED AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 2513 may differ from the introduced in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

The substitute includes a 48-hour work shift as one workday for purposes of calculating the payment amount for a paid leave of absence from duties in a fiscal year for certain fire protection personnel under the bill's provisions, whereas the introduced did not.