| 1 | 1 | | 89R15483 CJD-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Cook H.B. No. 4263 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 8 | 8 | | AN ACT |
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| 9 | 9 | | relating to the employment practices of the Texas Juvenile Justice |
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| 10 | 10 | | Department and to the eligibility of a person to be appointed to the |
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| 11 | 11 | | Texas Juvenile Justice Department's release review panel and the |
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| 12 | 12 | | authority of a panel member. |
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| 13 | 13 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 14 | 14 | | SECTION 1. Section 242.004(c), Human Resources Code, is |
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| 15 | 15 | | amended to read as follows: |
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| 16 | 16 | | (c) The department shall establish procedures and practices |
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| 17 | 17 | | governing: |
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| 18 | 18 | | (1) employment-related grievances submitted by |
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| 19 | 19 | | department employees; and |
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| 20 | 20 | | (2) grievances challenging disciplinary termination |
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| 21 | 21 | | of employment [disciplinary actions within the department, |
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| 22 | 22 | | including a procedure allowing a department employee to elect to |
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| 23 | 23 | | participate in an independent dismissal mediation if the employee |
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| 24 | 24 | | is recommended for dismissal]. |
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| 25 | 25 | | SECTION 2. Subchapter A, Chapter 242, Human Resources Code, |
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| 26 | 26 | | is amended by adding Section 242.012 to read as follows: |
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| 27 | 27 | | Sec. 242.012. PAYMENT FOR VACATION LEAVE FOR JUVENILE |
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| 28 | 28 | | CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS. (a) In this section, "juvenile |
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| 29 | 29 | | correctional officer" has the meaning assigned by Section 242.009. |
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| 30 | 30 | | (b) The department may adopt a policy allowing juvenile |
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| 31 | 31 | | correctional officers, one time during a fiscal year, to elect to |
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| 32 | 32 | | receive a lump-sum payment for the officer's accumulated vacation |
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| 33 | 33 | | leave in lieu of taking the leave. |
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| 34 | 34 | | (c) The number of hours of accumulated vacation leave for |
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| 35 | 35 | | which a juvenile correctional officer may be paid under a policy |
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| 36 | 36 | | authorized by this section may not exceed all of the officer's |
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| 37 | 37 | | accumulated vacation leave or 40 hours of accumulated vacation |
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| 38 | 38 | | leave, whichever is less. |
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| 39 | 39 | | (d) If the department pays a juvenile correctional officer |
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| 40 | 40 | | for the officer's accumulated vacation leave under a policy |
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| 41 | 41 | | authorized by this section, the department shall: |
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| 42 | 42 | | (1) compute the amount of the payment by multiplying |
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| 43 | 43 | | the officer's hourly rate of compensation on the date the officer |
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| 44 | 44 | | notifies the department of an election by the number of hours of |
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| 45 | 45 | | accumulated vacation leave for which the officer elects to be paid; |
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| 46 | 46 | | and |
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| 47 | 47 | | (2) on making the payment, deduct the number of hours |
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| 48 | 48 | | for which the officer received payment from the officer's |
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| 49 | 49 | | accumulated vacation leave balance. |
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| 50 | 50 | | SECTION 3. Section 245.101(c), Human Resources Code, is |
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| 51 | 51 | | amended to read as follows: |
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| 52 | 52 | | (c) The executive director shall determine the size of the |
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| 53 | 53 | | panel described by Subsection (b) and the length of the members' |
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| 54 | 54 | | terms of service on the panel. The panel must consist of an odd |
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| 55 | 55 | | number of members and the terms of the panel's members must last for |
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| 56 | 56 | | at least two years. The executive director shall adopt policies |
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| 57 | 57 | | that ensure the transparency, consistency, and objectivity of the |
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| 58 | 58 | | panel's composition, procedures, and decisions. The executive |
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| 59 | 59 | | director shall appoint persons to serve as members of the panel. A |
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| 60 | 60 | | person appointed to the panel must be a department employee [who |
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| 61 | 61 | | works at the department's central office]. A member of the panel |
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| 62 | 62 | | may not be involved in any determination under this chapter |
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| 63 | 63 | | [supervisory decisions] concerning a child [children] in the |
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| 64 | 64 | | custody of the department for whom that panel member has made a |
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| 65 | 65 | | supervisory decision. |
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| 66 | 66 | | SECTION 4. As soon as practicable after the effective date |
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| 67 | 67 | | of this Act, the Texas Juvenile Justice Department shall establish |
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| 68 | 68 | | the procedures and practices required by Section 242.004(c), Human |
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| 69 | 69 | | Resources Code, as amended by this Act. |
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| 70 | 70 | | SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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