85R3461 CJC-D
By: Geren H.B. No. 360
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to leave policy and procedures for state employees.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Chapter 661, Government Code, is amended by
adding Subchapter H to read as follows:
SUBCHAPTER H. STATE AGENCY LEAVE POLICY
Sec. 661.251. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "state
agency" has the meaning assigned by Section 661.001.
Sec. 661.252. AGENCY POLICY. (a) A state agency shall
adopt a policy governing leave for employees under this chapter.
(b) The policy must provide clear and objective guidelines
to establish under what circumstances an employee of the agency may
be entitled to or granted each type of leave provided by this
chapter.
(c) The state agency shall post the policy adopted under
this section on the agency's Internet website in a location easily
accessible by the agency's employees and the public.
SECTION 2. Section 661.902, Government Code, is amended by
amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (c) to read as
follows:
(b) The administrative head of an agency may determine that
a reason other than a reason [that] described by Subsection (a) is
sufficient for granting emergency leave. Subject to the provisions
of this subsection, the administrative head [and] shall grant an
emergency leave to an employee who the administrative head
determines has shown good cause for taking emergency leave. The
administrative head may not grant an emergency leave to an employee
under this subsection unless the administrative head believes in
good faith that the employee being granted the emergency leave
intends to return to the employee's position with the agency on
expiration of the period of emergency leave.
(c) Not later than October 1 of each year, the
administrative head of an agency shall report to the comptroller
the name and position of each employee of the agency who was granted
more than 32 hours of emergency leave during the previous state
fiscal year, the reason for which the employee was granted the
emergency leave, and the total number of hours of emergency leave
granted to the employee in that state fiscal year.
SECTION 3. Subchapter C, Chapter 2101, Government Code, is
amended by adding Section 2101.042 to read as follows:
Sec. 2101.042. LEAVE REPORTING. (a) As part of the
centralized accounting and payroll system or any successor system
used to implement the enterprise resource planning component of the
uniform statewide accounting project developed under Sections
2101.031, 2101.035, and 2101.036, the comptroller shall adopt a
uniform system for use by each state agency to report leave taken by
the agency's employees. The system adopted by the comptroller must
include standardized accounting codes for each type of leave
authorized under Chapter 661.
(b) Each state agency shall use the uniform system adopted
by the comptroller under this section.
SECTION 4. Section 661.902(b), Government Code, as amended
by this Act, applies only to a grant of emergency leave made on or
after the effective date of this Act. A grant of emergency leave
made before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in
effect on the date the emergency leave was granted, and the former
law is continued in effect for that purpose.
SECTION 5. The first report required under Section
661.902(c), Government Code, as added by this Act, is due October 1,
2017, and must cover the period from September 1, 2016, to August
31, 2017.
SECTION 6. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.