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AN ACT
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relating to the selection of public members to serve on a county's |
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salary grievance committee. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 152.015, Local Government Code, is |
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amended by amending Subsections (a), (b), and (d) and adding |
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Subsections (b-1) and (b-2) to read as follows: |
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(a) The public members of the salary grievance committee |
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shall be selected as provided by Subsection (b) or (b-1) at a |
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meeting of the commissioners court at any time during the year, but |
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not later than the 15th day after the date a request for a hearing is |
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received under Section 152.016(a). If a request for a public |
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hearing is not received, the commissioners court is not required to |
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select public members. |
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(b) Except as provided by Subsection (b-1), before [Before] |
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the meeting required by Subsection (a), the county clerk shall |
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place on a separate slip the name of each person who served on a |
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grand jury in the county during the preceding calendar year. At the |
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meeting the slips shall be folded, placed in an appropriate |
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container, and mixed. The county judge shall draw at random a number |
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of slips equal to the number of public members needed for the |
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committee and shall announce the names on the slips. At the meeting |
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the county judge may repeat this process and make a list of |
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alternates. |
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(b-1) As an alternative to the process prescribed by |
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Subsection (b), the commissioners court may direct the county clerk |
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to use a computer to generate a randomized list of the names of all |
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persons who served on a grand jury in the county during the |
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preceding calendar year. At the meeting required by Subsection (a), |
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the commissioners court shall: |
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(1) adopt the randomized list; |
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(2) enter the list into the minutes of the meeting; and |
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(3) select, in the order of the list, the necessary |
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number of public members and alternates. |
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(b-2) A person whose name is selected under this section |
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[drawn] becomes a member of the committee or an alternate on |
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submitting written acceptance of the selection to the clerk. If a |
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person refuses or is unable to serve on the committee, a replacement |
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shall be appointed from the list of alternates. If the list of |
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alternates is exhausted or does not exist, a replacement shall be |
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selected from the remaining names not already selected, in the same |
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manner as the replaced member, at the next regular or called |
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commissioners court meeting [by random selection of a slip from the |
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remaining slips]. This process shall be repeated until the required |
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number of public members have accepted the selection [is selected]. |
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(d) A vacancy in a public member position shall be filled |
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for the unexpired part of the term by appointment from the list of |
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alternates. If the list of alternates is exhausted or does not |
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exist, a replacement shall be selected [filled by random selection |
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of a slip] from the remaining names not already selected, in the |
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same manner as the vacating member, [slips] at a meeting of the |
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commissioners court. |
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SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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______________________________ |
______________________________ |
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President of the Senate |
Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.B. No. 840 was passed by the House on April |
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9, 2021, by the following vote: Yeas 143, Nays 1, 2 present, not |
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voting. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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I certify that H.B. No. 840 was passed by the Senate on May |
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19, 2021, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. |
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______________________________ |
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Secretary of the Senate |
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APPROVED: _____________________ |
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Date |
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_____________________ |
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Governor |