Title LG, Local Government Code

Sec. 143.008. ADOPTION AND PUBLICATION OF RULES. (a) A commission shall adopt rules necessary for the proper conduct of commission business. (b) The commission may not adopt a rule permitting the appointment or employment of a person who is: (1) without good moral character; (2) …

Sec. 143.009. COMMISSION INVESTIGATIONS AND INSPECTIONS. (a) The commission or a commission member designated by the commission may investigate and report on all matters relating to the enforcement and effect of this chapter and any rules adopted under this chapter and shall dete…

Sec. 143.010. COMMISSION APPEAL PROCEDURE. (a) Except as otherwise provided by this chapter, if a fire fighter or police officer wants to appeal to the commission from an action for which an appeal or review is provided by this chapter, the fire fighter or police officer need onl…

Sec. 143.011. DECISIONS AND RECORDS. (a) Each concurring commission member shall sign a decision issued by the commission. (b) The commission shall keep records of each hearing or case that comes before the commission. (c) Each rule, opinion, directive, decision, or order issued …

Sec. 143.012. DIRECTOR. (a) On adoption of this chapter, the office of Director of Fire Fighters' and Police Officers' Civil Service is established in the municipality. The commission shall appoint the director. The director shall serve as secretary to the commission and perform …

Sec. 143.013. APPOINTMENT AND REMOVAL OF DEPARTMENT HEAD. (a) Unless elected, each department head is: (1) appointed by the municipality's chief executive and confirmed by the municipality's governing body; or (2) in a municipality having an elected fire or police commissioner, a…

Sec. 143.014. APPOINTMENT AND REMOVAL OF PERSON CLASSIFIED IMMEDIATELY BELOW DEPARTMENT HEAD. (a) This section does not apply to a municipality with a population of 1.5 million or more. (b) If approved by the governing body of the municipality by resolution or ordinance, the head…

Sec. 143.015. APPEAL OF COMMISSION DECISION TO DISTRICT COURT. (a) If a fire fighter or police officer is dissatisfied with any commission decision, the fire fighter or police officer may file a petition in district court asking that the decision be set aside. The petition must b…

Sec. 143.016. PENALTY FOR VIOLATION OF CHAPTER. (a) A fire fighter or police officer commits an offense if the person violates this chapter. (b) An offense under this section or Section 143.009 is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than $10 or more than $100, confinem…

Sec. 143.021. CLASSIFICATION; EXAMINATION REQUIREMENT. (a) The commission shall provide for the classification of all fire fighters and police officers. The municipality's governing body shall establish the classifications by ordinance. The governing body by ordinance shall presc…

Sec. 143.022. PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND EXAMINATIONS. (a) The commission shall set the age and physical requirements for applicants for beginning and promotional positions in accordance with this chapter. The requirements must be the same for all applicants. (b) The commission sh…

Sec. 143.023. ELIGIBILITY FOR BEGINNING POSITION. (a) A person may not take an entrance examination for a beginning position in the police department unless the person is at least 18 years of age. A person may not take an entrance examination for a beginning position in the fire …

Sec. 143.024. ENTRANCE EXAMINATION NOTICE. (a) Before the 10th day before the date an entrance examination is held, the commission shall cause a notice of the examination to be posted in plain view on a bulletin board located in the main lobby of the city hall and in the commissi…

Sec. 143.025. ENTRANCE EXAMINATIONS. (a) The commission shall provide for open, competitive, and free entrance examinations to provide eligibility lists for beginning positions in the fire and police departments. The examinations are open to each person who makes a proper applica…

Sec. 143.0251. REAPPOINTMENT AFTER RESIGNATION. The commission may adopt rules to allow a police officer who voluntarily resigns from the department to be reappointed to the department without taking another departmental entrance examination. Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 64…

Sec. 143.026. PROCEDURE FOR FILLING BEGINNING POSITIONS. (a) When a vacancy occurs in a beginning position in a fire or police department, the department head shall request in writing from the commission the names of suitable persons from the eligibility list. The director shall …

Sec. 143.027. PROBATIONARY PERIOD. (a) A person appointed to a beginning position in the fire or police department must serve a probationary period of one year beginning on that person's date of employment as a fire fighter, police officer, or academy trainee. In a municipality w…

Sec. 143.028. ELIGIBILITY FOR PROMOTION. (a) Except as provided by Sections 143.013 and 143.102, a fire fighter is not eligible for promotion unless the person has served in that fire department in the next lower position or other positions specified by the commission for at leas…

Sec. 143.029. PROMOTIONAL EXAMINATION NOTICE. (a) Before the 90th day before the date a promotional examination is held, the commission shall post a notice that lists the sources from which the examination questions will be taken. (b) Before the 30th day before the date a promoti…

Sec. 143.030. ELIGIBILITY FOR FIRE DEPARTMENT PROMOTIONAL EXAMINATION. (a) This section does not apply to a municipality with a population of 1.5 million or more. (b) Each promotional examination is open to each fire fighter who at any time has continuously held for at least two …

Sec. 143.031. ELIGIBILITY FOR POLICE DEPARTMENT PROMOTIONAL EXAMINATION. (a) Each promotional examination is open to each police officer who for at least two years immediately before the examination date has continuously held a position in the classification that is immediately b…

Sec. 143.032. PROMOTIONAL EXAMINATION PROCEDURE. (a) The commission shall adopt rules governing promotions and shall hold promotional examinations to provide eligibility lists for each classification in the fire and police departments. Unless a different procedure is adopted unde…

Sec. 143.033. PROMOTIONAL EXAMINATION GRADES. (a) The grading of each promotional examination shall begin when one eligible promotional candidate completes the examination. As the eligible promotional candidates finish the examination, the examinations shall be graded at the exam…

Sec. 143.034. REVIEW AND APPEAL OF PROMOTIONAL EXAMINATION. (a) On request, each eligible promotional candidate from the fire or police department is entitled to examine the person's promotional examination and answers, the examination grading, and the source material for the exa…

Sec. 143.035. ALTERNATE PROMOTIONAL SYSTEM IN POLICE DEPARTMENT. (a) This section does not apply to a municipality that has adopted The Fire and Police Employee Relations Act (Article 5154c-1, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes). (b) On the recommendation of the head of the police dep…

Sec. 143.036. PROCEDURE FOR MAKING PROMOTIONAL APPOINTMENTS. (a) When a vacancy occurs in a nonentry position that is not appointed by the department head as provided by Sections 143.014 and 143.102, the vacancy shall be filled as prescribed by this section and Section 143.108, a…

Sec. 143.037. RECORD OF CERTIFICATION AND APPOINTMENT. (a) When a person is certified and appointed to a position in the fire or police department, the director shall forward the appointed person's record to the proper department head. The director shall also forward a copy of th…

Sec. 143.038. TEMPORARY DUTIES IN HIGHER CLASSIFICATION. (a) This section does not apply to a municipality with a population of 1.5 million or more. (b) The department head may designate a person from the next lower classification to temporarily fill a position in a higher classi…

Sec. 143.041. SALARY. (a) This section does not apply to a municipality with a population of 1.5 million or more. (b) Except as provided by Section 143.038, all fire fighters or police officers in the same classification are entitled to the same base salary. (c) In addition to th…

Sec. 143.042. ASSIGNMENT PAY. (a) This section does not apply to a municipality with a population of 1.5 million or more. (b) The governing body of a municipality may authorize assignment pay for fire fighters and police officers who perform specialized functions in their respect…

Sec. 143.043. FIELD TRAINING OFFICER ASSIGNMENT PAY. (a) In this section, "field training officer" means a member of the police department who is assigned to and performs the duties and responsibilities of the field training officers program. (b) The governing body of a municipal…

Sec. 143.044. CERTIFICATION, EDUCATIONAL INCENTIVE, AND FITNESS INCENTIVE PAY. (a) This section does not apply to a municipality with a population of 1.5 million or more. (b) If each fire fighter or police officer in a municipality is afforded an opportunity to qualify for certif…

Sec. 143.045. ACCUMULATION AND PAYMENT OF SICK LEAVE. (a) A permanent or temporary fire fighter or police officer is allowed sick leave with pay accumulated at the rate of 1-1/4 full working days for each full month employed in a calendar year, so as to total 15 working days to a…

Sec. 143.046. VACATIONS. (a) Each fire fighter or police officer is entitled to earn a minimum of 15 working days' vacation leave with pay in each year. (b) In computing the length of time a fire fighter or police officer may be absent from work on vacation leave, only those cale…

Sec. 143.047. SHIFT DIFFERENTIAL PAY. (a) The governing body of a municipality may authorize shift differential pay for fire fighters and police officers who work a shift in which more than 50 percent of the time worked is after 6 p.m. and before 6 a.m. (b) The shift differential…

Sec. 143.051. CAUSE FOR REMOVAL OR SUSPENSION. A commission rule prescribing cause for removal or suspension of a fire fighter or police officer is not valid unless it involves one or more of the following grounds: (1) conviction of a felony or other crime involving moral turpitu…

Sec. 143.052. DISCIPLINARY SUSPENSIONS. (a) This section does not apply to a municipality with a population of 1.5 million or more. (b) The head of the fire or police department may suspend a fire fighter or police officer under the department head's supervision or jurisdiction f…

Sec. 143.053. APPEAL OF DISCIPLINARY SUSPENSION. (a) This section does not apply to a municipality with a population of 1.5 million or more. (b) If a suspended fire fighter or police officer appeals the suspension to the commission, the commission shall hold a hearing and render …

Sec. 143.054. DEMOTIONS. (a) If the head of the fire or police department wants a fire fighter or police officer under his supervision or jurisdiction to be involuntarily demoted, the department head may recommend in writing to the commission that the commission demote the fire f…

Sec. 143.055. UNCOMPENSATED DUTY OF POLICE OFFICERS. (a) This section does not apply to a municipality with a population of 1.5 million or more. (b) In this section, "uncompensated duty" means days of police work without pay that are in addition to regular or normal work days. (c…

Sec. 143.056. PROCEDURES AFTER FELONY INDICTMENT OR MISDEMEANOR COMPLAINT. (a) If a fire fighter or police officer is indicted for a felony or officially charged with the commission of a Class A or B misdemeanor, the department head may temporarily suspend the person with or with…

Sec. 143.057. HEARING EXAMINERS. (a) In addition to the other notice requirements prescribed by this chapter, the written notice for a promotional bypass or the letter of disciplinary action, as applicable, issued to a fire fighter or police officer must state that in an appeal o…

Sec. 143.071. LEAVES OF ABSENCE; RESTRICTION PROHIBITED. (a) If a sufficient number of fire fighters or police officers are available to carry out the normal functions of the fire or police department, a fire fighter or police officer may not be refused a reasonable leave of abse…

Sec. 143.072. MILITARY LEAVE OF ABSENCE. (a) On written application of a fire fighter or police officer, the commission shall grant the person a military leave of absence without pay, subject to Section 143.075, to enable the person to enter a branch of the United States military…

Sec. 143.073. LINE OF DUTY ILLNESS OR INJURY LEAVE OF ABSENCE. (a) A municipality shall provide to a fire fighter or police officer a leave of absence for an illness or injury related to the person's line of duty. The leave is with full pay for a period commensurate with the natu…

Sec. 143.074. REAPPOINTMENT AFTER RECOVERY FROM DISABILITY. With the commission's approval and if otherwise qualified, a fire fighter or police officer who has been certified by a physician selected by a pension fund as having recovered from a disability for which the person has …