The bill would make minor adjustments to Sections 144.057, 143.1015, 143.1016, 143.105, and 143.352,  Local Government Code. Chapter 143, Local Government Code relates to municipal civil service for firefighters and police officers in certain municipalities.

The bill would add Section 143.1041 to the Local Government Code, to require the civil service commission in certain municipalities that have adopted Chapter 143 for police officers to provide for open, competitive, and free entrance examinations to establish an eligibility list for beginning peace officer positions in the police department. The examination may be administered only after the examinees are admitted to a police officer training academy and before the examinees graduate from the academy.

The bill would add Section 143.355 to the Local Government Code to require a public employer that has recognized a police employee group as the sole and exclusive bargaiing agent under Section 143.354 to deduct police employee group dues via automatic payroll deduction for members of that employee group. The employer would also be authorized to set up automatic payroll deductions for members of other police employee groups if an agreement is made between the chief executive officer of the public employer and the recognized bargaining agent.

The bill would take effect September 1, 2007.

There would be no significant fiscal implications to units of local government for the sections of the Local Government Code to which minor changes would be made by provisions of the bill and for administrative costs related to making payroll deductions as would be added by Section 143.355.

If a police department already administers an entrance examination as described in the proposed Section 143.1041, there would be no fiscal impact. If the civil service commission for an applicable police department does not offer a free entrance examination for establishing an eligibility list, there would be costs for developing and administering the examination. The cost for administering the exam would depend on how many persons take the exam and how frequently the exam is offered.