Texas 2019 86th Regular

Texas House Bill HB2816 Introduced / Bill

Filed 03/01/2019

                    86R13306 PMO-F
 By: Lucio III H.B. No. 2816


 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 AN ACT
 relating to compensation and leave for certain employees of the
 fraud unit of the Texas Department of Insurance.
 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 SECTION 1.  Section 659.301(5), Government Code, is amended
 to read as follows:
 (5)  "State employee" means an individual who:
 (A)  is a commissioned law enforcement officer of
 the Department of Public Safety, the Texas Facilities Commission,
 the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, the Texas Department of
 Criminal Justice, [or] the attorney general, or the insurance fraud
 unit of the Texas Department of Insurance;
 (B)  is a commissioned security officer of the
 comptroller;
 (C)  is a law enforcement officer commissioned by
 the Parks and Wildlife Commission;
 (D)  is a commissioned peace officer of an
 institution of higher education;
 (E)  is an employee or official of the Board of
 Pardons and Paroles or the parole division of the Texas Department
 of Criminal Justice if the employee or official has routine direct
 contact with inmates of any penal or correctional institution or
 with administratively released prisoners subject to the board's
 jurisdiction;
 (F)  has been certified to the Employees
 Retirement System of Texas under Section 815.505 as having begun
 employment as a law enforcement officer or custodial officer,
 unless the individual has been certified to the system as having
 ceased employment as a law enforcement officer or custodial
 officer; or
 (G)  before May 29, 1987, received hazardous duty
 pay based on the terms of any state law if the individual holds a
 position designated under that law as eligible for the pay.
 SECTION 2.  Section 661.918(a), Government Code, is amended
 to read as follows:
 (a)  This section applies to a peace officer under Article
 2.12, Code of Criminal Procedure, who is commissioned as a law
 enforcement officer or agent, including a ranger, by:
 (1)  the Public Safety Commission and the director of
 the Department of Public Safety;
 (2)  the Parks and Wildlife Commission;
 (3)  the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission; [or]
 (4)  the attorney general; or
 (5)  the insurance fraud unit of the Texas Department
 of Insurance.
 SECTION 3.  Section 701.104, Insurance Code, is amended by
 adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:
 (d)  The commissioner shall ensure that a peace officer
 commissioned under Subsection (a) is compensated according to
 Schedule C of the position classification salary schedule
 prescribed by the General Appropriations Act.
 SECTION 4.  (a)  The classification officer in the office of
 the state auditor shall classify the position of commissioned peace
 officer employed by the insurance fraud unit of the Texas
 Department of Insurance as a Schedule C position under the Texas
 Position Classification Plan.
 (b)  The change made by the classification officer as
 required by this section applies beginning with the state fiscal
 biennium beginning September 1, 2019.
 (c)  This section expires September 1, 2021.
 SECTION 5.  Section 661.918(a), Government Code, as amended
 by this Act, applies only to an injury that occurs on or after the
 effective date of this Act.
 SECTION 6.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.