HBA-SEB H.B. 3167 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 3167 By: Keel Pensions and Investments 4/6/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, certain state law enforcement officers and correctional employees are eligible to receive enhanced retirement benefits through the law enforcement and custodial officer supplemental retirement fund within the Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS). Parole officers are not eligible for these benefits, although they face physical danger and stress in supervising convicted felons. H.B. 3167 includes parole officers in the category of custodial officers for the purposes of performing service for ERS and makes parole officers eligible for supplemental retirement benefits from ERS. 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 Section 811.001, Government Code, by amending Subdivision (8) and adding Subdivision (18), as follows: (8) Includes in the definition of "custodial officer" a member of the Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS) who is employed by the Board of Pardons and Paroles or the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) as a parole officer or caseworker. (18) Provides that "parole officer" has the meaning assigned by Section 508.001 (a person appointed by the director of the pardons and paroles division who is assigned the duties of assessment of risks and needs, investigation, case management, and supervision of releasees to ensure that they are complying with the conditions of parole or mandatory supervision). SECTION 2. Amends Sections 813.506(b) and (c), Government Code, to provide that in order to be creditable as custodial officer service, service must be performed as a parole officer or caseworker or must meet specific requirements and be, rather than may be, performed by a person in a specific correctional category. Makes conforming changes. SECTION 3. Amends Section 815.505, Government Code, to make a conforming change. SECTION 4. Requires the Board of Pardons and Paroles and TDCJ to certify to ERS, in the manner prescribed by ERS and before October 1, 1999, the name of each person employed by the board on September 1, 1999, as a custodial officer as defined by Section 811.001, Government Code, as amended by this Act, and such other information as ERS determines is necessary for the crediting of service and financing of benefits under Subtitle B, Title 8, Government Code. SECTION 5. Effective date: September 1, 1999. SECTION 6. Emergency clause.