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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to legislative leave for correctional officers employed by |
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the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Chapter 493, Government Code, is amended by |
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adding Section 493.0075 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 493.0075. DONATION OF ACCRUED COMPENSATORY TIME OR |
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ACCRUED ANNUAL LEAVE FOR LEGISLATIVE PURPOSES. (a) The executive |
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director shall allow a correctional officer employed by the |
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department to voluntarily transfer to a legislative leave pool up |
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to eight hours of compensatory time or annual leave per year earned |
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by the correctional officer. |
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(b) The executive director or the executive director's |
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designee shall administer the legislative leave pool. |
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(c) The board shall adopt rules and prescribe procedures |
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relating to the operation of the legislative leave pool. |
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(d) The executive director or the executive director's |
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designee shall credit the legislative leave pool with the amount of |
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time contributed by a correctional officer employed by the |
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department and deduct a corresponding amount of time from the |
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correctional officer's earned compensatory time or annual leave as |
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if the correctional officer had used the time for personal |
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purposes. |
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(e) A correctional officer employed by the department is |
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entitled to use time contributed to the legislative leave pool if |
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the correctional officer uses the time for legislative leave on |
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behalf of an association: |
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(1) related to the correctional officer's employment |
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with the department; |
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(2) that has at least 5,000 active or retired members; |
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and |
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(3) that is governed by a board of directors. |
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(f) The executive director or the executive director's |
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designee shall transfer time from the pool to the correctional |
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officer and credit the time to the correctional officer. |
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(g) A correctional officer employed by the department may |
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only withdraw time from the legislative leave pool in coordination |
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with and with the consent of the president or designee of the |
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association described in Subsection (e). A correctional officer |
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may not draw more than 80 hours from the pool in a 160-hour work |
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cycle and may not draw more than 480 hours from the pool in a fiscal |
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year. |
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(h) A correctional officer employed by the department shall |
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use time from the legislative leave pool in accordance with rules |
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adopted by the board. |
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SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |