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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to compensation and employment benefits for law |
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enforcement personnel in certain counties. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Sections 174.003(3), (4), and (5), Local |
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Government Code, are amended to read as follows: |
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(3) "Police officer" means a paid employee who is |
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sworn, certified or licensed by the Texas Commission on Law |
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Enforcement, and full-time, and who regularly serves in a |
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professional law enforcement capacity in the police department of a |
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political subdivision, the office of a district attorney as an |
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investigator, or the office of the county fire marshal. The term |
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does not include the chief of the department. |
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(4) "Political subdivision" includes a municipality |
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and a county. |
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(5) "Public employer" means the official or group of |
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officials of a political subdivision whose duty is to establish the |
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compensation, hours, and other conditions of employment of fire |
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fighters, police officers, or both, and may include the mayor, city |
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manager, town manager, town administrator, municipal governing |
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body, director of personnel, personnel board, commissioners, |
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commissioners court, or another official or combination of those |
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persons. |
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SECTION 2. Section 174.005, Local Government Code, is |
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amended to read as follows: |
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Sec. 174.005. PREEMPTION OF OTHER LAW. This chapter |
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preempts all contrary local ordinances, executive orders, |
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legislation, or rules adopted by the state or by a political |
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subdivision or agent of the state, including a personnel board, |
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civil service commission, commissioners court, or home-rule |
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municipality. |
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SECTION 3. Subchapter Z, Chapter 152, Local Government |
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Code, is amended by adding Section 152.908 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 152.908. COMPENSATION PARITY FOR POLICE OFFICERS IN |
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CERTAIN COUNTIES. (a) In this section, "police officer" has the |
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meaning assigned by Section 174.003. |
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(b) This section applies only to a county with a population |
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of 3.3 million or more. |
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(c) If the commissioners court of a county increases the |
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compensation or employment benefits for a class of police officers, |
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the commissioners court must increase by the same amount the |
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compensation or employment benefits to all police officers that are |
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within that class and who receive their compensation and employment |
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benefits primarily through county funding. |
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(d) The commissioners court of a county: |
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(1) shall provide funding to each law enforcement |
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agency, office, or department of the county necessary to provide |
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the increase in compensation or employment benefits required by |
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Subsection (c); and |
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(2) may not reduce a component of the budget of a law |
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enforcement agency, office, or department as a result of the |
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increase in compensation or employment benefits required by |
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Subsection (c). |
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SECTION 4. Section 152.908, Local Government Code, as added |
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by this Act, applies only to an increase in the compensation or |
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employment benefits for a class of police officers, as defined by |
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that section, that is adopted by the commissioners court of the |
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county on or after the effective date of this Act. |
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SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |