Bill Caption

Relating to illness or injury leave of absence for county and municipal firefighter and police officers.

Fiscal Notes

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

Bill Analysis

HB 2242 would impose new state mandates related to illness or injury leave of absence for county and municipal firefighters and police officers. 

Under the provisions of HB 2242, a county or municipality must provide a firefighter or police officer a leave of absence for an illness or injury related to the person's line of duty. Such leave would be with full pay for a period commensurate with the nature of the line of duty illness or injury. The leave could continue for at least one year.

At the end of that year, the county or municipality may extend the leave at full or reduced pay. The firefighter or police officer may retire on pension if the leave is not extended or their salary is reduced below 60% until able to return to duty.

If a firefighter or police officer who is temporarily disabled by the injury or illness has their year of leave expired and is not granted an extension, they may use accumulated sick leave, vacation time, and other accrued benefits before the person is placed on temporary leave.

Vote Recommendation Notes

Texas Action opposes HB 2242 which is inconsistent with our limited government principle. Local governments should do right by their sick or injured public safety personnel, however it is not the proper role of state government to impose a top-down, one-size-fits-all policy to address this issue. The ability of counties and municipalities to comply with the provisions of this bill would likely vary greatly across the state. For these reasons, we oppose HB 2242