Bill Text: TX HB2073 | 2021-2022 | 87th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Relating to quarantine leave for fire fighters, peace officers, detention officers, and emergency medical technicians employed by, appointed by, or elected for a political subdivision.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2021-06-15 - Effective immediately [HB2073 Detail]
Download: Texas-2021-HB2073-Enrolled.html
H.B. No. 2073 |
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relating to quarantine leave for fire fighters, peace officers, | ||
detention officers, and emergency medical technicians employed by, | ||
appointed by, or elected for a political subdivision. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. The heading to Chapter 180, Local Government | ||
Code, is amended to read as follows: | ||
CHAPTER 180. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS AFFECTING OFFICERS AND | ||
EMPLOYEES OF MORE THAN ONE TYPE OF [ |
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SECTION 2. Chapter 180, Local Government Code, is amended | ||
by adding Section 180.008 to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 180.008. PAID QUARANTINE LEAVE FOR FIRE FIGHTERS, | ||
PEACE OFFICERS, DETENTION OFFICERS, AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL | ||
TECHNICIANS. (a) In this section: | ||
(1) "Detention officer" means an individual appointed | ||
or employed by a political subdivision as a county jailer or other | ||
individual responsible for the care and custody of individuals | ||
incarcerated in a county or municipal jail. | ||
(2) "Emergency medical technician" means an | ||
individual who is: | ||
(A) certified as an emergency medical technician | ||
under Chapter 773, Health and Safety Code; and | ||
(B) employed by a political subdivision. | ||
(3) "Fire fighter" means a paid employee of a | ||
municipal fire department or emergency services district who: | ||
(A) holds a position that requires substantial | ||
knowledge of fire fighting; | ||
(B) has met the requirements for certification by | ||
the Texas Commission on Fire Protection under Chapter 419, | ||
Government Code; and | ||
(C) performs a function listed in Section | ||
143.003(4)(A). | ||
(4) "Health authority" has the meaning assigned by | ||
Section 121.021, Health and Safety Code. | ||
(5) "Peace officer" means an individual described by | ||
Article 2.12, Code of Criminal Procedure, who is elected for, | ||
employed by, or appointed by a political subdivision. | ||
(b) The governing body of a political subdivision shall | ||
develop and implement a paid quarantine leave policy for fire | ||
fighters, peace officers, detention officers, and emergency | ||
medical technicians who are employed by, appointed by, or elected | ||
for the political subdivision and ordered to quarantine or isolate | ||
due to a possible or known exposure to a communicable disease while | ||
on duty. | ||
(c) A paid quarantine leave policy must: | ||
(1) provide that a fire fighter, peace officer, | ||
detention officer, or emergency medical technician on paid | ||
quarantine leave receive: | ||
(A) all employment benefits and compensation, | ||
including leave accrual, pension benefits, and health benefit plan | ||
benefits for the duration of the leave; and | ||
(B) reimbursement for reasonable costs related | ||
to the quarantine, including lodging, medical, and transportation; | ||
and | ||
(2) require that the leave be ordered by the person's | ||
supervisor or the political subdivision's health authority. | ||
(d) A political subdivision may not reduce a fire fighter's, | ||
peace officer's, detention officer's, or emergency medical | ||
technician's sick leave balance, vacation leave balance, holiday | ||
leave balance, or other paid leave balance in connection with paid | ||
quarantine leave taken in accordance with a policy adopted under | ||
this section. | ||
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
Act takes effect September 1, 2021. | ||
______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
I certify that H.B. No. 2073 was passed by the House on April | ||
7, 2021, by the following vote: Yeas 146, Nays 0, 1 present, not | ||
voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B. | ||
No. 2073 on May 28, 2021, by the following vote: Yeas 146, Nays 0, | ||
1 present, not voting. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Chief Clerk of the House | ||
I certify that H.B. No. 2073 was passed by the Senate, with | ||
amendments, on May 26, 2021, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays | ||
0. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Secretary of the Senate | ||
APPROVED: __________________ | ||
Date | ||
__________________ | ||
Governor |