HBA-CMT, CBW C.S.H.B. 3603 77(R)BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 3603 By: Capelo Urban Affairs 4/17/2001 Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, municipalities covered by the provisions for municipal civil services are required to provide line of duty illness or injury leave to a police officer or firefighter with full pay for up to one year. After the oneyear period, the municipality's governing body may extend the leave at full or reduced pay. If a firefighter's or police officer's salary is reduced below 60 percent of the person's regular monthly salary and the municipality has a firefighter or police officer's pension fund, the person may retire on pension until able to return to work. It may be unclear whether police officers and firefighters who are members of different pension funds are covered by the provision. C.S.H.B. 3603 clarifies that police officers and firefighters in civil service municipalities are covered by the provisions for retirement on pension regardless of the type of pension fund in which they are a member. 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. ANALYSIS C.S.H.B. 3603 amends the Local Government Code to provide that if after one year a firefighter's or police officer's line of duty illness or injury leave of absence is not extended or the person's salary is reduced below 60 percent of the person's regular monthly salary and the person is a member of a pension fund, the person is authorized to retire on pension until able to return to duty. The bill only applies to a city that has adopted the provisions for municipal civil service. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE C.S.H.B. 3603 amends the original bill by adding the provision that with the Fire Fighters' and Police Officers' Civil Service Commission's approval a firefighter or police officer who has been certified by a physician selected by a pension fund, rather than a firefighter's or police officer's relief or retirement fund as having recovered from a disability for which the person has been receiving a monthly disability pension is eligible for reappointment.