HBA-TYH S.B. 107 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisS.B. 107 By: Truan State Affairs 3/30/1999 Engrossed BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Cesar Chavez was an active civil rights leader who first organized U.S. farm workers and co-founded the United Farm Workers of America. Chavez rallied for and succeeded in improving the wages, schooling, housing, and other living conditions of farm workers of all ethnic backgrounds. In 1991, Chavez received one of Mexico's premier awards, Aguila Azteca (Aztec Eagle) for contributions made outside Mexico, and was posthumously presented in 1994 with the United States' highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. A joint resolution pending in the U.S. House of Representatives, H.J.R. 65, would designate March 31, Chavez's birthday, as a national holiday. In Texas, a coalition of labor, church, youth and advocacy groups has been organizing to have Texas declare a state holiday in his honor. S.B. 107 establishes March 31st as a state holiday called "Cesar Chavez Day." 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 Subchapter A, Chapter 662, Government Code, by adding Section 662.013, as follows: Sec. 662.013. OPTIONAL HOLIDAY FOR CESAR CHAVEZ DAY. Requires the 31st day of March to be designated "Cesar Chavez Day" in observance of the birthday of Cesar Chavez. Authorizes the administrative head of a state agency to allow an employee of the agency to have a day off with pay on Cesar Chavez Day in lieu of any other state holiday that occurs on a weekday, other than a weekday on which an election is held throughout the state, on which the state agency is required to be open but on which the operations of the agency are required to be maintained at only a minimum level. Requires each state agency, on Cesar Chavez Day, to remain open and conduct the operations of the agency at a minimum level. Provides that a holiday allowed under this section is in lieu of another holiday prescribed by law. The total number of holidays in a year to which an employee of a state agency is entitled is not changed by this section. SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 1999. SECTION 3. Emergency clause.