Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas House Bill HB1354 Compare Versions

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1	1	88R5710 MP-F
2	2	By: Sherman, Sr. H.B. No. 1354
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the salaries of members of certain municipal police
8	8	departments and to state assistance payments to offset the cost of
9	9	those salaries.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Chapter 141, Local Government Code, is amended
12	12	by adding Subchapter C to read as follows:
13	13	SUBCHAPTER C. MINIMUM SALARY OF POLICE DEPARTMENT MEMBERS IN
14	14	CERTAIN MUNICIPALITIES
15	15	Sec. 141.051. DEFINITION. In this subchapter,
16	16	"dishonorably discharged" has the meaning assigned by Section
17	17	1701.452, Occupations Code.
18	18	Sec. 141.052. APPLICABILITY. This subchapter applies only
19	19	to a municipality with a population of 5,000 or less.
20	20	Sec. 141.053. MINIMUM SALARY; ELIGIBILITY. (a)
21	21	Notwithstanding any other law, the governing body of a municipality
22	22	shall provide for each municipal fiscal year a salary of at least
23	23	$55,000 to each eligible member of the police department.
24	24	(b) To be eligible for the minimum salary under this
25	25	section, a member of the police department must:
26	26	(1) be a full-time employee; and
27	27	(2) annually file with the municipality an affidavit
28	28	in the form and manner prescribed by the municipality stating that
29	29	the member:
30	30	(A) has never been dishonorably discharged by any
31	31	law enforcement agency; and
32	32	(B) is not currently under investigation for
33	33	alleged misconduct for which the member may be dishonorably
34	34	discharged.
35	35	Sec. 141.054. STATE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO PAY MINIMUM
36	36	SALARIES. (a) To serve the state purpose of ensuring professional
37	37	law enforcement throughout the state, a municipality is entitled to
38	38	an assistance payment from the state for each municipal fiscal year
39	39	to assist the municipality in paying the minimum salary required by
40	40	Section 141.053 for each eligible member of the police department
41	41	in the municipality. A municipality is entitled to the assistance
42	42	payment in an amount that equals the difference of $55,000 and the
43	43	member's salary as paid by the municipality.
44	44	(b) The governing body of the municipality may not reduce
45	45	the portion of a salary paid to a member of the police department by
46	46	the municipality as a result of receiving an assistance payment for
47	47	that member.
48	48	(c) Not later than the 30th day after the first day of a
49	49	municipality's fiscal year, the municipality must submit an
50	50	application to the comptroller in the form and manner prescribed by
51	51	comptroller rule to receive the assistance payment. The
52	52	application must include an affidavit described by Section
53	53	141.053(b)(2) for each member of the police department in the
54	54	municipality for whom the municipality is applying for an
55	55	assistance payment.
56	56	(d) The comptroller shall remit the applicable assistance
57	57	payment to which a municipality is entitled from available state
58	58	money not later than the 30th day after the date the comptroller
59	59	receives the municipality's completed application for the
60	60	assistance payment.
61	61	(e) The comptroller shall adopt rules necessary to
62	62	implement this section.
63	63	SECTION 2. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to
64	64	a municipal fiscal year that begins on or after January 1, 2024.
65	65	SECTION 3. Not later than January 1, 2024, the comptroller
66	66	of public accounts shall adopt rules as required by Section
67	67	141.054(e), Local Government Code, as added by this Act.
68	68	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.