| 5 | 3 | | |
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| 6 | 4 | | |
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| 7 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 8 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 9 | 7 | | relating to vacation leave time accounts for firefighter employee |
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| 10 | 8 | | organizations. |
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| 11 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 12 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 142, Local Government |
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| 13 | 11 | | Code, is amended by adding Section 142.015 to read as follows: |
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| 14 | 12 | | Sec. 142.015. VACATION LEAVE TIME ACCOUNT FOR FIREFIGHTERS. |
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| 15 | 13 | | (a) A municipality shall establish and maintain a vacation leave |
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| 16 | 14 | | time account for each firefighter employee organization. |
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| 17 | 15 | | (b) A firefighter who is a member of an employee |
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| 18 | 16 | | organization may donate any amount of accumulated vacation time to |
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| 19 | 17 | | the vacation leave time account of the employee organization to |
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| 20 | 18 | | which the firefighter belongs. |
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| 21 | 19 | | (c) A firefighter who wishes to donate vacation time to the |
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| 22 | 20 | | account established under this section must authorize the donation |
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| 23 | 21 | | in writing on a form provided by the employee organization and |
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| 24 | 22 | | approved by the municipality. |
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| 25 | 23 | | (d) Only a firefighter who is a member of an employee |
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| 26 | 24 | | organization may use the vacation time donated to the account of the |
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| 27 | 25 | | employee organization. A firefighter may use the vacation time |
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| 28 | 26 | | donated under this section without receiving a reduction in salary |
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| 29 | 27 | | and without reimbursing the municipality. |
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| 30 | 28 | | (e) A request to use the vacation time in an employee |
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| 31 | 29 | | organization's vacation leave time account must be: |
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| 32 | 30 | | (1) in writing; and |
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| 33 | 31 | | (2) submitted to the municipality: |
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| 34 | 32 | | (A) by the president or the equivalent officer of |
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| 35 | 33 | | the employee organization or by that officer's designee; and |
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| 36 | 34 | | (B) at least three days before the date for which |
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| 37 | 35 | | the vacation time is requested. |
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| 38 | 36 | | (f) Before vacation time in an employee organization's |
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| 39 | 37 | | vacation leave time account may be used by a firefighter, the fire |
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| 40 | 38 | | chief, or the fire chief's designee, must approve the request to use |
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| 41 | 39 | | the vacation time. The fire chief or the fire chief's designee |
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| 42 | 40 | | shall approve a timely request unless the operational needs of the |
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| 43 | 41 | | fire department justify that the request be denied. |
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| 44 | 42 | | (g) The municipality shall account for the vacation time |
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| 45 | 43 | | donated to each vacation leave time account and used from each |
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| 46 | 44 | | account. The municipality shall credit and debit the applicable |
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| 47 | 45 | | vacation leave time account on an hour-for-hour basis regardless of |
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| 48 | 46 | | the cash value of the vacation time donated or used. |
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| 49 | 47 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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