HBA-JEK C.S.H.B. 2247 77(R)BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 2247
By: Ellis, Dan
Corrections
4/3/2001
Committee Report (Substituted)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is facing a shortage of
employees in its institutional division, especially prison guards.
Institutional division employees receive low pay and may face risks to
their personal safety.  A March 10, 2000 article in the Amarillo Globe-News
states that TDCJ's institutional division is operating with about 2,000
guards fewer than it needs, and the attrition rate for guards has risen
from 11 percent in 1995 to 21 percent in 2000.  An examination of why many
institutional division employees terminate their employment with TDCJ might
help TDCJ attract and retain more employees.  C.S.H.B. 2247 requires TDCJ
to establish an exit interview policy for each institutional division
employee who terminates employment. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 2247 amends the Government Code to require the Texas Department of
Criminal Justice (TDCJ) to adopt a policy that provides for an exit
interview of each institutional division employee who terminates employment
with TDCJ.  The bill provides that participation in the interview process
is voluntary, and that TDCJ is not required to conduct an exit interview of
an employee who is terminated against the employee's will.  The bill
requires TDCJ to adopt an exit interview policy by October 1, 2001.  TDCJ
shall encourage the employee to state in the employee's own words the
reasons for which the employee is terminating employment. 

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2001.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 2247 differs from the original bill by removing the stipulation
that an employee must be asked in an exit interview whether a significant
factor in the employee's decision to terminate employment was inadequate
pay or benefits, an assault or threat or violence, a poor relationship with
a supervisor, sexual harassment, the lack of a fair grievance procedure, a
lack of training, or any other cause.