| 1 | 1 | | 86R7847 CJC-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Moody H.B. No. 2953 |
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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 a grant program to provide salary increases to |
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| 8 | 8 | | full-time peace officers employed by certain local governments with |
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| 9 | 9 | | limited tax bases. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter F, Chapter 401, Government Code, is |
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| 12 | 12 | | amended by adding Section 401.106 to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 401.106. GRANT PROGRAM FOR PEACE OFFICER PAY IN AREA |
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| 14 | 14 | | WITH LIMITED TAX BASE. (a) In this section, "qualifying local |
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| 15 | 15 | | government" means a county or municipality in which: |
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| 16 | 16 | | (1) the taxable value of property for ad valorem tax |
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| 17 | 17 | | purposes is less than the amount established by rule under |
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| 18 | 18 | | Subsection (b); and |
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| 19 | 19 | | (2) the average starting salary on September 1, 2019, |
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| 20 | 20 | | for a peace officer employed full-time by the county or |
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| 21 | 21 | | municipality is less than $32,500 per year. |
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| 22 | 22 | | (b) The governor by rule shall establish a grant program to |
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| 23 | 23 | | award grants to qualifying local governments to enhance public |
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| 24 | 24 | | safety in this state by ensuring that the starting salaries of all |
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| 25 | 25 | | peace officers employed by a qualifying local government is at |
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| 26 | 26 | | least $32,500 per year. The rules adopted under this subsection |
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| 27 | 27 | | must: |
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| 28 | 28 | | (1) provide the maximum taxable value of property that |
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| 29 | 29 | | may be located in a county or municipality in order for the county |
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| 30 | 30 | | or municipality to be considered a qualifying local government; and |
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| 31 | 31 | | (2) prescribe the manner by which: |
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| 32 | 32 | | (A) a qualifying local government applies for a |
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| 33 | 33 | | grant; and |
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| 34 | 34 | | (B) grants will be allocated to applicants if the |
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| 35 | 35 | | amount of grants for which qualifying local governments have |
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| 36 | 36 | | applied exceeds the amount of money available for the grants. |
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| 37 | 37 | | (c) The governor shall award grants to qualifying local |
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| 38 | 38 | | governments under this section from money appropriated to the |
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| 39 | 39 | | governor for that purpose. The governor is not required to award a |
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| 40 | 40 | | grant under this section during any period for which money is not |
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| 41 | 41 | | appropriated for that purpose. |
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| 42 | 42 | | SECTION 2. (a) The comptroller of public accounts, using |
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| 43 | 43 | | existing resources, shall conduct a study to determine the amount |
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| 44 | 44 | | of money needed to fully fund the grant program under Section |
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| 45 | 45 | | 401.106, Government Code, as added by this Act, for the two-year |
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| 46 | 46 | | period beginning September 1, 2021. |
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| 47 | 47 | | (b) Not later than January 1, 2021, the comptroller of |
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| 48 | 48 | | public accounts shall submit a report on the study to the governor, |
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| 49 | 49 | | the lieutenant governor, and each member of the legislature. The |
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| 50 | 50 | | legislature may consider the report when making appropriations to |
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| 51 | 51 | | the governor for the state fiscal biennium beginning September 1, |
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| 52 | 52 | | 2021. |
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| 53 | 53 | | (c) This section takes effect September 1, 2019. |
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| 54 | 54 | | SECTION 3. Except as otherwise provided by this Act, this |
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| 55 | 55 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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