HBA-SEB H.B. 2336 76(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2336
By: Maxey
Pensions and Investments
3/21/1999
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

The Texas Integrated Enrollment Services project (TIES) involves
privatization and staff reductions in some state agencies in order to
improve the delivery of health, human, and employment services and to save
money by integrating the eligibility and enrollment functions of the
agencies.  The Government Code provides a temporary service retirement
option for certain members of the Employees Retirement System of Texas
whose jobs in specific state agencies are eliminated by privatization or
other workforce reductions.  H.B. 2336 includes employees of the Texas
Department of Health in the group of people eligible for the temporary
service retirement option.  It also makes the temporary service retirement
option applicable to employees whose positions in those specific state
agencies were eliminated before September 1, 2003, rather than September 1,
1999.  

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Sections 814.1041(a) and (f), as follows:

(a)  Provides that this section (Temporary Service Retirement Option for
Members Affected by Privatization or Other Reduction in Workforce) applies
only to members of the employee class of the Employees Retirement System of
Texas whose positions in the Texas Department of Health, in addition to the
Texas Workforce Commission, the Texas Department of Human Services, and the
Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation are eliminated as
a result of contracts with private service providers or other reductions in
services provided by those agencies and who separate from state service at
that time.   

(f)  Establishes that this section applies only to positions eliminated by
privatization or other reductions in workforce before September 1, 2003,
rather than September 1, 1999. 

SECTION 2.  Effective date: September 1, 1999.

SECTION 3.  Emergency clause.