BILL ANALYSIS

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

The State of Texas Position Classification Plan (plan) is designed to ensure that state employees are classified appropriately and consistently according to their education, work experience, skills, and work performed, and that the salary ranges for positions are competitive with similar positions in the public and private sector. The plan helps to promote salary parity for similar positions across agencies, allows agencies to recruit and retain employees, and provides salary administration guidelines for similar positions across agencies to make individual pay decisions.

Each job classification in the plan corresponds to a salary schedule that provides the minimum and maximum salary rate. In addition, each job classification has a corresponding salary group assignment appropriate for the type and level of work being performed. The plan includes three salary schedules:

� Salary Schedule A - Includes paraprofessional, administrative support, maintenance, service, and technician positions.

� Salary Schedule B - Includes mainly professional and managerial positions.

� Salary Schedule C - Includes commissioned peace officers who are employed by the Alcoholic Beverage Commission, the Attorney General's Office, the Department of Criminal Justice, the Department of Public Safety, and the Parks and Wildlife Department.

Currently, commissioned peace officers employed by the Comptroller of Public Accounts are in Salary Schedule B. S.B. 1237 would add commissioned peace officers employed by the comptroller to Salary Schedule C of the plan. The comptroller's peace officers enforce the state Tax Code in all 254 counties and makes felony arrests relating to violations of the Tax Code each year. Adding them to Schedule C will provide salary parity to similar positions at other state agencies.

As proposed, S.B. 1237 amends current law relating to compensation and leave for certain security officers or investigators commissioned as peace officers by the comptroller.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter B, Chapter 403, Government Code, by adding Section 403.0306, as follows:

Sec. 403.0306. COMMISSIONED PEACE OFFICERS. Requires the Comptroller of Public Accounts of the State of Texas (comptroller) to ensure that a security officer or investigator commissioned as a peace officer by the comptroller is compensated according to Schedule C of the position classification salary schedule prescribed by the General Appropriations Act.

SECTION 2. Amends Section 661.918(a), Government Code, as follows:

(a) Provides that Section 661.918 (Injury Leave for Certain Peace Officers) applies to a peace officer under Article 2.12 (Who are Peace Officers), Code of Criminal Procedure, who is commissioned as a law enforcement officer or agent, including a ranger, by:

(1)-(3) makes no changes to these subdivisions;

(4)-(5) makes nonsubstantive changes to these subdivisions; or

(6) the comptroller.

SECTION 3. (a) Requires the classification officer in the office of the state auditor to classify the position of security officer or investigator commissioned as a peace officer by the comptroller as a Schedule C position under the Texas Position Classification Plan.

(b) Provides that the change made by the classification officer as required by this section applies beginning with the state fiscal biennium beginning September 1, 2023.

(c) Provides that this section expires September 1, 2025.

SECTION 4. Provides that 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 5. Effective date: September 1, 2023.