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