By Turner of Coleman, Ellis, H.B. No. 3185 77R12925 E A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to certain personnel policies of the Texas Department of 1-3 Criminal Justice. 1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-5 SECTION 1. Chapter 492, Government Code, is amended by adding 1-6 Section 492.015 to read as follows: 1-7 Sec. 492.015. PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS AND LABOR OVERSIGHT 1-8 COMMITTEE. (a) The department, in conjunction with the board's 1-9 human resources committee or any committee created by the board to 1-10 carry out the functions of the human resources committee, shall 1-11 review the implementation of and make necessary recommendations for 1-12 rule and policy changes to: 1-13 (1) career ladders established under Sections 493.007 1-14 and 494.014; 1-15 (2) professional development of correctional officers 1-16 and supervisory personnel; 1-17 (3) labor-management cooperation, recruitment, and 1-18 retention policies; and 1-19 (4) disciplinary and grievance procedures. 1-20 (b) The department, in conjunction with the board's human 1-21 resources committee or any committee created by the board to carry 1-22 out the functions of the human resources committee, shall submit a 1-23 report biennially to the legislature that includes the matters 1-24 considered under this section. 1-25 SECTION 2. Chapter 493, Government Code, is amended by adding 2-1 Section 493.0071 to read as follows: 2-2 Sec. 493.0071. EMPLOYEE EXIT INTERVIEWS. (a) The department 2-3 shall adopt a policy that provides for an exit interview of each 2-4 institutional division employee who terminates employment with the 2-5 department. Employee participation in the interview process is 2-6 voluntary, and the department is not required to conduct an exit 2-7 interview of an employee who is terminated against the employee's 2-8 will. 2-9 (b) The department shall encourage the employee to state in 2-10 the employee's own words the reasons for which the employee is 2-11 terminating employment. 2-12 (c) The department shall analyze responses to interviews 2-13 conducted under this section on the basis of the responding 2-14 employees' age, gender, race or ethnicity, years of service, rank, 2-15 and duty locations. 2-16 SECTION 3. Chapter 493, Government Code, is amended by adding 2-17 Section 493.026 to read as follows: 2-18 Sec. 493.026. REPORT OF EMPLOYMENT-RELATED GRIEVANCES. (a) 2-19 In this section, "employment-related grievance" means an 2-20 employment-related issue, in regard to which an employee wishes to 2-21 express dissatisfaction. 2-22 (b) The department shall submit annually to the board a 2-23 report on the process used by the department to resolve 2-24 employment-related grievances. The report must include: 2-25 (1) the number of grievances filed; 2-26 (2) a brief description of each grievance filed; and 2-27 (3) the final disposition of each grievance. 3-1 SECTION 4. Chapter 494, Government Code, is amended by adding 3-2 Sections 494.014 and 494.015 to read as follows: 3-3 Sec. 494.014. PERSONNEL. (a) The department shall develop a 3-4 career ladder program for the institutional division to retain 3-5 professionally qualified employees. The program must base 3-6 advancement on the employee's: 3-7 (1) annual performance evaluations developed under 3-8 Section 493.007; 3-9 (2) years of experience in the institutional division; 3-10 and 3-11 (3) hours of training completed. 3-12 (b) The department shall promote a correctional officer 3-13 candidate to the level of Texas Law Enforcement Correctional 3-14 Officer on completion of the hours of training and the years of 3-15 experience required by the department. 3-16 (c) The department shall: 3-17 (1) develop training programs necessary to give an 3-18 employee the opportunity for advancement; 3-19 (2) develop a training program consisting of a 3-20 combination of annual in-service training and specific supervisory 3-21 training and testing to be required for promotion to all 3-22 correctional officer supervisory positions; and 3-23 (3) allow an employee the opportunity to complete 3-24 available training programs required for advancement. 3-25 Sec. 494.015. MANAGEMENT-EMPLOYEE MEETINGS. (a) The 3-26 department shall implement policies mandating bimonthly 3-27 labor-management meetings between: 4-1 (1) each regional director or assistant regional 4-2 director; and 4-3 (2) employees selected by the department or employees 4-4 chosen by employees selected by the department. 4-5 (b) At each bimonthly labor-management meeting, both parties 4-6 shall have an opportunity to improve labor-management relations by 4-7 addressing issues selected by the parties. 4-8 (c) At the conclusion of each bimonthly meeting, a regional 4-9 director shall submit a report to the director of the institutional 4-10 division describing the progress of the meetings. 4-11 (d) The director of the institutional division shall conduct 4-12 statewide meetings with employee representatives. 4-13 SECTION 5. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice shall 4-14 adopt an exit interview policy, as required by Section 493.0071, 4-15 Government Code, as added by this Act, not later than October 1, 4-16 2001, and shall offer each employee who terminates employment with 4-17 the department on or after that date an opportunity to participate 4-18 in the interview. 4-19 SECTION 6. All employees having met the experience 4-20 qualification required under Section 494.014(b), Government Code, 4-21 as added by this Act, on or before September 1, 2001, shall 4-22 automatically be certified as Texas Law Enforcement Correctional 4-23 Officers. 4-24 SECTION 7. This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.