Relating to compensation and leave for certain peace officers.
Summary
SB 1321 revises several provisions governing compensation and leave-related benefits for certain Texas peace officers. The bill expands the definition of “state employee” for purposes of state leave and related benefits to include a security officer employed by the Texas Military Department, and it updates the list of peace officers covered by a leave/benefit provision in the Government Code to expressly include officers commissioned by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE). It also amends the Occupations Code to authorize TCOLE to commission certified peace officers as investigators for the limited purpose of helping administer the chapter.
The bill further requires that a peace officer commissioned by TCOLE as an investigator be paid according to Schedule C of the state position classification salary schedule. In addition, it directs the state auditor’s classification officer to classify the commissioned peace officer position at TCOLE as a Schedule C position for the 2026-2027 biennium, with that classification change expiring on September 1, 2027. The bill takes effect September 1, 2025, and the injury-related change to Section 661.918 applies only to injuries occurring on or after that date.
Impact
SB 1321 amends the Government Code and Occupations Code to extend state compensation and leave-related treatment to additional categories of peace officers and to create a specific pay classification for TCOLE-commissioned peace officer investigators. It affects the state employee definition used for leave and related benefits, expands coverage under a peace-officer injury provision, and requires Schedule C compensation for a newly authorized TCOLE investigator position. The practical impact is on state agencies that employ or commission peace officers, especially TCOLE and the Texas Military Department, as well as on officers eligible for state leave, compensation, and injury benefits.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial. It passed the Senate unanimously and the House overwhelmingly, with 145 yeas, no nays, and two present not voting. The voting history suggests strong bipartisan agreement that the compensation and leave adjustments for these peace officers were appropriate.
Contention
No committee transcript was provided, and the recorded votes show no substantive opposition. The only likely points of policy focus are the expansion of state-benefit eligibility to additional peace officers, the inclusion of TCOLE-commissioned officers in the injury/leave framework, and the creation of a Schedule C classification for TCOLE investigators. Any concern would likely have centered on fiscal or classification implications for the state workforce, but the available record does not show active disagreement.