| 1 | 1 | | 81R7237 JSC-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Gallegos S.B. No. 1555 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to the conditions of employment for firefighters employed |
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| 8 | 8 | | by certain airport districts; providing penalties. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Subtitle C, Title 5, Local Government Code, is |
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| 11 | 11 | | amended by adding Chapter 179 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | CHAPTER 179. CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT FOR FIREFIGHTERS OF |
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| 13 | 13 | | CERTAIN AIRPORT DISTRICTS |
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| 14 | 14 | | Sec. 179.001. APPLICABILITY. (a) This chapter applies to a |
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| 15 | 15 | | fire department of and firefighters employed by an airport district |
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| 16 | 16 | | created by an interlocal agreement between two or more political |
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| 17 | 17 | | subdivisions of this state. |
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| 18 | 18 | | (b) For purposes of this section, a reference to a |
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| 19 | 19 | | municipality or a municipal official in a provision of law made |
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| 20 | 20 | | applicable by this chapter to a district described by Subsection |
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| 21 | 21 | | (a) is considered to be a reference to the district or the official |
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| 22 | 22 | | of the district responsible for the performance of the duty to which |
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| 23 | 23 | | the provision applies. |
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| 24 | 24 | | Sec. 179.002. DEFINITION. In this chapter, "firefighter" |
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| 25 | 25 | | means a person defined as fire protection personnel under Section |
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| 26 | 26 | | 419.021, Government Code. |
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| 27 | 27 | | Sec. 179.003. PAYROLL DEDUCTIONS; LONGEVITY PAY; |
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| 28 | 28 | | CLASSIFICATION PAY; PENALTY. (a) Sections 141.008, 141.032, and |
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| 29 | 29 | | 141.033 apply to a firefighter employed by an employer covered by |
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| 30 | 30 | | this chapter. |
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| 31 | 31 | | (b) The penalty under Section 141.035 applies to a person |
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| 32 | 32 | | who is in charge of the fire department under this section or who is |
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| 33 | 33 | | responsible for setting the compensation for firefighters employed |
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| 34 | 34 | | by an employer covered by this chapter. |
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| 35 | 35 | | Sec. 179.004. ASSISTANCE; BENEFITS; WORKING CONDITIONS; |
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| 36 | 36 | | PENALTY. Sections 142.001, 142.0013, 142.0015, 142.0016, 142.004, |
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| 37 | 37 | | 142.009, and 142.010 apply to a firefighter employed by an employer |
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| 38 | 38 | | covered by this chapter. |
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| 39 | 39 | | Sec. 179.005. CIVIL SERVICE. (a) An airport district to |
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| 40 | 40 | | which this chapter applies is considered to have adopted Chapter |
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| 41 | 41 | | 143 as it applies to the airport district's fire department in the |
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| 42 | 42 | | same manner as a municipality with a population of less than 1.5 |
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| 43 | 43 | | million to which that chapter applies, and Subchapters A-F, Chapter |
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| 44 | 44 | | 143, apply to the district's fire department. |
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| 45 | 45 | | (b) Each firefighter who has been in the service of the |
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| 46 | 46 | | airport district for more than six months at the time this chapter |
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| 47 | 47 | | first becomes applicable to the airport district and who is |
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| 48 | 48 | | entitled to civil service classification has the status of a civil |
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| 49 | 49 | | service employee and is not required to take a competitive |
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| 50 | 50 | | examination to remain in the position the person occupies at the |
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| 51 | 51 | | time this chapter first becomes applicable to the airport district. |
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| 52 | 52 | | (c) The Fire Fighters' Civil Service Commission is |
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| 53 | 53 | | established in each airport district subject to this chapter. The |
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| 54 | 54 | | chief operative officer of the airport district shall appoint the |
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| 55 | 55 | | members of the commission within 60 days after the date this chapter |
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| 56 | 56 | | first becomes applicable to the airport district. Within 30 days |
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| 57 | 57 | | after the date the airport district's first full fiscal year begins |
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| 58 | 58 | | after the date this chapter first becomes applicable to the airport |
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| 59 | 59 | | district, the governing body of the airport district shall |
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| 60 | 60 | | implement this chapter. |
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| 61 | 61 | | (d) The office of Director of Fire Fighters' Civil Service |
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| 62 | 62 | | is established in each airport district subject to this chapter. |
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| 63 | 63 | | The commission shall appoint the director. The director shall |
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| 64 | 64 | | serve as secretary to the commission and perform work incidental to |
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| 65 | 65 | | the civil service system as required by the commission. The |
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| 66 | 66 | | commission may remove the director at any time. |
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| 67 | 67 | | SECTION 2. (a) On the effective date of this Act, Chapter |
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| 68 | 68 | | 179, Local Government Code, as added by this Act, first becomes |
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| 69 | 69 | | applicable to an existing airport district. |
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| 70 | 70 | | (b) An airport district to which Chapter 143, Local |
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| 71 | 71 | | Government Code, is, without regard to the holding of an election, |
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| 72 | 72 | | applicable because of the change in law made by this Act shall |
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| 73 | 73 | | implement a civil service system in the municipality in accordance |
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| 74 | 74 | | with the terms of Subchapters A-F, Chapter 143, Local Government |
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| 75 | 75 | | Code, and in accordance with Chapter 179, Local Government Code, as |
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| 76 | 76 | | added by this Act. |
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| 77 | 77 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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