| 1 | 1 | | 85R12441 YDB-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Hefner H.B. No. 3132 |
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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 financial assistance paid to the survivors of certain |
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| 8 | 8 | | law enforcement officers and employees killed in the line of duty. |
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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. Section 615.121(a), Government Code, is amended |
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| 11 | 11 | | to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (a) The state shall pay the following benefits to an |
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| 13 | 13 | | eligible surviving spouse of a peace officer, a jailer, a county |
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| 14 | 14 | | jailer or guard, or an employee of the Texas Department of Criminal |
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| 15 | 15 | | Justice, as described by Section 615.003(1), (4), [or] (6), or (7), |
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| 16 | 16 | | who was killed in the line of duty and who had not qualified for an |
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| 17 | 17 | | annuity under an employees' retirement plan: |
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| 18 | 18 | | (1) funeral expenses related to the deceased person |
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| 19 | 19 | | [officer or employee]; and |
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| 20 | 20 | | (2) monthly payments that equal the greater of: |
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| 21 | 21 | | (A) the monthly annuity payment the deceased |
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| 22 | 22 | | person [officer or employee] would have received if the deceased |
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| 23 | 23 | | person [officer or employee] had survived, had retired on the last |
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| 24 | 24 | | day of the month in which the person [officer or employee] died, and |
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| 25 | 25 | | had been eligible to receive an annuity under an employees' |
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| 26 | 26 | | retirement plan; or |
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| 27 | 27 | | (B) the minimum monthly annuity payment the |
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| 28 | 28 | | deceased person [officer or employee] would have received if the |
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| 29 | 29 | | person [officer or employee] had been employed by the state for 10 |
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| 30 | 30 | | years, had been paid a salary at the lowest amount provided by the |
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| 31 | 31 | | General Appropriations Act for a position of peace officer, jailer, |
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| 32 | 32 | | county jailer or guard, or employee of the Texas Department of |
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| 33 | 33 | | Criminal Justice, as described by Section 615.003(1), (4), [or] |
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| 34 | 34 | | (6), or (7), and had been eligible to retire under the Employees |
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| 35 | 35 | | Retirement System of Texas. |
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| 36 | 36 | | SECTION 2. The changes in law made by this Act apply to a |
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| 37 | 37 | | payment of assistance to survivors of certain law enforcement |
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| 38 | 38 | | officers and employees on or after the effective date of this Act |
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| 39 | 39 | | regardless of the date the officer or employee died. |
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| 40 | 40 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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