Title LG, Local Government Code

Sec. 158.035. POWERS OF COMMISSION. (a) The commission shall adopt, publish, and enforce rules regarding: (1) selection and classification of employees; (2) competitive examinations; (3) promotions, seniority, and tenure; (4) layoffs and dismissals; (5) disciplinary actions; (6) …

Sec. 158.0351. PROCEDURES AFTER FELONY INDICTMENT OR MISDEMEANOR COMPLAINT. (a) This section applies only to a county with a population of 2.8 million or more. (b) If an employee is indicted for a felony or officially charged with the commission of a Class A or B misdemeanor, the…

Sec. 158.0355. AUTHORITY TO ISSUE SUBPOENAS AND ADMINISTER OATHS. (a) In a proceeding before the commission under this subchapter, the chairman of the commission shall, on request of a person described by Subsection (b): (1) administer oaths; and (2) issue subpoenas and subpoenas…

Sec. 158.036. COMPENSATION AND STAFF. The members of the commission serve without compensation, but the commissioners court shall reimburse each member for actual and necessary expenses incurred in performing the member's duties. The commissioners court shall provide the commissi…

Sec. 158.037. APPEALS. (a) An employee who, on a final decision by the commission, is demoted, suspended, or removed from a position may appeal the decision by filing a petition in a district court in the county within 30 days after the date of the decision. (b) An appeal under t…

Sec. 158.0371. REVIEW UNDER SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE RULE. (a) The same standards described by Section 158.0121 apply to an appeal under Section 158.037. (b) The procedures for review under Section 158.037 are the same as provided by Section 158.0122. (c) The commission may require a…

Sec. 158.038. EXEMPTIONS. (a) A person who is an employee of a department on the date that a civil service system is adopted under this subchapter in the department may not be required to take a competitive examination or perform any other act under this subchapter to maintain th…

Sec. 158.039. DISSOLUTION OF SYSTEM. (a) If, after a civil service system under this subchapter has been in effect in a department for at least one year, 20 percent of the employees of the department petition the county judge to dissolve the system, the judge shall order a depart…

Sec. 158.040. EXCLUSIVITY. A civil service system created under this subchapter and in effect applies to the department to the exclusion of a civil service system in that county created under Subchapter A or another law. Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 149, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987.

Sec. 158.041. ILLNESS OR INJURY LEAVE OF ABSENCE. (a) A county shall provide to an employee a leave of absence for an illness or injury related to the employee's activities performed in the line of duty. The leave is with full pay for a period commensurate with the nature of the …

Sec. 158.042. REAPPOINTMENT AFTER RECOVERY FROM DISABILITY. With the commission's approval and if otherwise qualified, an employee who has been certified by a physician selected by a pension fund as having recovered from a disability for which the employee has been receiving a mo…

Sec. 159.001. APPLICABILITY OF SUBCHAPTER. This subchapter applies only to: (1) a county officer or candidate for a county office of a county with a population of 100,000 or more; or (2) a justice of the peace or a candidate for the office of justice of the peace of a county with…

Sec. 159.002. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "county officer" means a county judge, county commissioner, or county attorney. Amended by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1134, Sec. 18, eff. Sept. 1, 1997.

Sec. 159.003. FINANCIAL STATEMENT REQUIRED. (a) A county officer, candidate for a county office, justice of the peace, or candidate for the office of justice of the peace shall file a financial statement as required by this subchapter. (b) The statement must: (1) be filed with th…

Sec. 159.004. FILING DATES; TIMELINESS OF FILING. (a) A county officer or justice of the peace shall file the financial statement required by this subchapter within the time prescribed by Section 572.026, Government Code. A candidate for office as a county officer or justice of t…

Sec. 159.005. PREPARATION OF FORMS. (a) The county clerk may: (1) design a form to be used for filing the financial statement required by this subchapter; or (2) require that a form designed by the Texas Ethics Commission under Chapter 572, Government Code, be used for filing the…

Sec. 159.006. DUPLICATE STATEMENTS. If a person has filed a financial statement under one provision of this subchapter covering the preceding calendar year, the person is not required to file a financial statement required under another provision of this subchapter to cover that …

Sec. 159.007. PUBLIC ACCESS TO STATEMENTS. (a) Financial statements filed under this subchapter are public records. The county clerk shall maintain the statements in separate alphabetical files and in a manner that is accessible to the public during regular office hours. (b) Duri…

Sec. 159.0071. NOTIFICATION TO PROSECUTING ATTORNEY. The county clerk of each county in which a person is required to file a financial statement under this chapter shall maintain a list of the county officers, candidates for county office, justices of the peace, and candidates fo…

Sec. 159.008. CRIMINAL PENALTY. (a) A county officer, candidate for county office, justice of the peace, or candidate for the office of justice of the peace commits an offense if the officer, justice, or candidate knowingly fails to file a financial statement as required by this …

Sec. 159.009. VENUE. An offense under this subchapter, including perjury, may be prosecuted in any county in which it may be prosecuted under the Code of Criminal Procedure. Amended by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1134, Sec. 18, eff. Sept. 1, 1997.

Sec. 159.010. CIVIL PENALTY. (a) A person who determines that a person required to file a financial statement under this subchapter has failed to do so may notify in writing: (1) the county attorney or criminal district attorney; or (2) the district attorney, if the person requir…

Sec. 159.031. COUNTY COVERED BY SUBCHAPTER. This subchapter applies only to a county with a population of 125,000 or more. Added by Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 1, Sec. 38(a), eff. Aug. 28, 1989. Renumbered from Sec. 159.001 and amended by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 304, Sec. 7.01, e…

Sec. 159.032. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: (1) "County officer" means a sheriff, county tax assessor-collector, county clerk, district clerk, county treasurer, county auditor, or county purchasing agent. The term does not include a county officer as defined by Section 159.002…

Sec. 159.033. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE REPORTING SYSTEM. (a) The commissioners court of the county may adopt by order a financial disclosure reporting system for county officers, precinct officers, county judicial officers, candidates for those offices, and county employees. (b) The …

Sec. 159.034. FILING REQUIREMENT. (a) The commissioners court may require the report to be filed with the clerk of the commissioners court, the county auditor, or any other county officer. However, the commissioners court may require the report to be filed with the county clerk o…

Sec. 159.0341. TIMELINESS OF FILING. (a) A person is considered to have timely filed a report under this subchapter if: (1) the report is filed in accordance with Section 572.029, Government Code; (2) the report is personally delivered not later than 5 p.m. of the last day for fi…

Sec. 159.035. CIVIL PENALTY. (a) If a report is determined to be late, the person responsible for filing the report is civilly liable to the county for $100. The county attorney or the district or criminal district attorney with civil jurisdiction may not initiate suit for the pe…

Sec. 159.036. CRIMINAL PENALTY. (a) An officer, candidate, or employee required to file a report by an order adopted under this subchapter commits an offense if the person knowingly fails to file the report as required by the order. (b) An offense under this section is a Class B …

Sec. 159.051. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: (1) "Commission" means the Texas Ethics Commission. (2) "County judicial officer" means the judge of a statutory county court or statutory probate court. Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 763, Sec. 7, eff. Sept. 1, 1995. Amended by …

Sec. 159.052. FILING REQUIREMENT. (a) A county judicial officer or a candidate for office as a county judicial officer shall file with the county clerk or the commission a financial statement that complies with Sections 572.022 and 572.023, Government Code. (b) A county judicial …

Sec. 159.053. FILING DATES; TIMELINESS OF FILING. (a) A county judicial officer shall file the financial statement required by this subchapter within the time prescribed by Section 572.026, Government Code. A candidate for office as a county judicial officer shall file the financ…

Sec. 159.054. PREPARATION OF FORMS. (a) The county clerk may: (1) design a form to be used for filing the financial statement required by this subchapter; or (2) require that a form designed by the commission under Chapter 572, Government Code, be used for filing the financial st…

Sec. 159.055. PUBLIC ACCESS TO STATEMENTS AND RELATED RECORDS. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), a financial statement filed under this subchapter or a document filed under Section 159.052(b) is a public record. The county clerk or the commission shall maintain the financ…

Sec. 159.056. FAILURE TO FILE; CRIMINAL PENALTY. (a) A person commits an offense if the person: (1) is a county judicial officer or a candidate for office as a county judicial officer; and (2) knowingly fails to file a financial statement as required by this subchapter. (b) An of…

Sec. 159.071. OMISSION OF ADDRESS. (a) In this section: (1) "County attorney" means a county attorney whose jurisdiction includes any criminal law or child protective services matter. (2) "Family member" has the meaning assigned by Section 31.006, Finance Code. (3) "State judge" …

Sec. 160.001. POLICY. The purpose of this chapter is to provide reasonable, standardized grievance procedures for certain counties and their employees because: (1) it is the policy of this state that the right of public employees to present, individually or through a representati…

Sec. 160.002. COUNTIES AND EMPLOYEES AFFECTED. This chapter applies only to a county with a population of more than 3.3 million and its employees, including but not limited to the employees of road and bridge districts, flood control districts, and juvenile probation departments …

Sec. 160.003. DEFINITION. In this chapter, "grievance" means a claim by an employee that the employee was adversely affected by a violation, misinterpretation, misapplication, or disparity in the application of a specific law, ordinance, resolution, written or unwritten policy, o…

Sec. 160.004. PROCEDURE IN GENERAL. A grievance must be presented and adjusted in accordance with the grievance procedures prescribed by this chapter. Added by Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 1, Sec. 39(a), eff. Aug. 28, 1989.

Sec. 160.005. STANDARDIZED GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE. (a) The commissioners court of the county shall enact orders to provide for: (1) filing of written grievances; (2) written responses to the grievance allegations; (3) procedures for appeal to an appointed county grievance resolution…

Sec. 160.006. NO RETALIATION OR REPRISAL. (a) An employee may not be made subject to retaliation, reprisal, or discrimination on account of having exercised any right or participated in any procedure established by this chapter. A supervisor or management official may not be made…

Sec. 160.007. PROSPECTIVE APPLICATION OF CHAPTER AND AMENDED ORDER. (a) This Act applies only to a grievance based on events that occur on or after June 20, 1987. (b) If the commissioners court amends an order adopted under this chapter, the amended order does not apply to a grie…

Sec. 161.001. APPLICABILITY OF CHAPTER. This chapter applies only to: (1) a county that: (A) contains a municipality that has a population of 500,000 or more; (B) is located on the international border; and (C) before September 1, 2009, had a county ethics board appointed by the …

Sec. 161.002. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter: (1) "Commission" means a county ethics commission created under this chapter. (2) "Commission staff" means county employees assigned to provide administrative support to the commission. (3) "Communicates directly with" has the meaning a…

Sec. 161.003. CONFLICT WITH CIVIL SERVICE AGREEMENT. (a) This chapter may not be construed to affect: (1) the terms of an agreement authorized by Chapter 174 between the county and county employees; or (2) any provision of a civil service statute applicable to a county employee. …