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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to certain leave policies for state employees. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 661.902, Government Code, is amended by |
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amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (c) to read as |
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follows: |
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(b) The administrative head of an agency may determine that |
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a reason other than a reason [that] described by Subsection (a) is |
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sufficient for granting emergency leave. Subject to the provisions |
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of this subsection and except as provided by Subsection (c), the |
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administrative head [and] shall grant an emergency leave to an |
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employee if the employee requests the leave and [who] the |
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administrative head determines that the employee has shown good |
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cause for taking emergency leave. The administrative head may not |
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grant an emergency leave to an employee under this subsection |
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unless the administrative head believes in good faith that the |
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employee being granted the emergency leave intends to return to the |
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employee's position with the agency on expiration of the period of |
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emergency leave. |
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(c) An employee is not required to request an emergency |
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leave if the administrative head of the employing agency grants the |
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emergency leave under Subsection (b) because the agency is closed |
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due to weather conditions or in observance of a holiday. |
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SECTION 2. Subchapter Z, Chapter 661, Government Code, is |
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amended by adding Section 661.923 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 661.923. LEAVE DURING AGENCY INVESTIGATION. (a) The |
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administrative head of an agency may grant leave without a |
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deduction in salary to a state employee who is: |
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(1) the subject of an investigation being conducted by |
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the agency; or |
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(2) a victim of, or witness to, an act or event that is |
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the subject of an investigation being conducted by the agency. |
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(b) A state employee who is the subject of an investigation |
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being conducted by the employing agency is ineligible to receive |
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leave for that reason under any other provision of this subchapter. |
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(c) Not later than the last day of each quarter of a state |
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fiscal year, an agency shall submit a report to the state auditor's |
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office and the Legislative Budget Board that includes the name of |
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each agency employee described by Subsection (a)(1) who has been |
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granted 168 hours or more of leave under this section during that |
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fiscal quarter. The report must include, for each employee, a brief |
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statement as to the reason the employee remains on leave. |
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SECTION 3. Subchapter C, Chapter 2101, Government Code, is |
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amended by adding Section 2101.042 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 2101.042. LEAVE REPORTING. (a) As part of the |
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centralized accounting and payroll system or any successor system |
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used to implement the enterprise resource planning component of the |
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uniform statewide accounting project developed under Sections |
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2101.031, 2101.035, and 2101.036, the comptroller shall adopt a |
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uniform system for use by each state agency to report leave taken by |
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the agency's employees. The system adopted by the comptroller must |
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include standardized accounting codes for each type of leave |
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authorized under Chapter 661. |
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(b) Each state agency shall use the uniform system adopted |
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by the comptroller under this section. |
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SECTION 4. Section 661.902, Government Code, as amended by |
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this Act, and Section 661.923, Government Code, as added by this |
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Act, apply only to a grant of leave made on or after the effective |
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date of this Act. A grant of leave made before the effective date of |
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this Act is governed by the law in effect on the date that leave was |
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granted, and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
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SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |