Relating to compensation and employment benefits for law enforcement personnel in certain counties, the official text

H.B. No. 4205

AN ACT

relating to compensation and employment benefits for law

enforcement personnel in certain counties.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Sections 174.003(3), (4), and (5), Local

Government Code, are amended to read as follows:

(3) "Police officer" means a paid employee who is

sworn, certified or licensed by the Texas Commission on Law

Enforcement, and full-time, and who regularly serves in a

professional law enforcement capacity in the police department of a

political subdivision, the office of a district attorney as an

investigator, or the office of the county fire marshal. The term

does not include the chief of the department.

(4) "Political subdivision" includes a municipality

and a county.

(5) "Public employer" means the official or group of

officials of a political subdivision whose duty is to establish the

compensation, hours, and other conditions of employment of fire

fighters, police officers, or both, and may include the mayor, city

manager, town manager, town administrator, municipal governing

body, director of personnel, personnel board, commissioners,

commissioners court, or another official or combination of those

persons.

SECTION 2. Section 174.005, Local Government Code, is

amended to read as follows:

Sec. 174.005. PREEMPTION OF OTHER LAW. This chapter

preempts all contrary local ordinances, executive orders,

legislation, or rules adopted by the state or by a political

subdivision or agent of the state, including a personnel board,

civil service commission, commissioners court, or home-rule

municipality.

SECTION 3. Subchapter Z, Chapter 152, Local Government

Code, is amended by adding Section 152.908 to read as follows:

Sec. 152.908. COMPENSATION PARITY FOR POLICE OFFICERS IN

CERTAIN COUNTIES. (a) In this section, "police officer" has the

meaning assigned by Section 174.003.

(b) This section applies only to a county with a population

of 3.3 million or more.

(c) If the commissioners court of a county increases the

compensation or employment benefits for a class of police officers,

the commissioners court must increase by the same amount the

compensation or employment benefits to all police officers that are

within that class and who receive their compensation and employment

benefits primarily through county funding.

(d) The commissioners court of a county:

(1) shall provide funding to each law enforcement

agency, office, or department of the county necessary to provide

the increase in compensation or employment benefits required by

Subsection (c); and

(2) may not reduce a component of the budget of a law

enforcement agency, office, or department as a result of the

increase in compensation or employment benefits required by

Subsection (c).

SECTION 4. Section 152.908, Local Government Code, as added

by this Act, applies only to an increase in the compensation or

employment benefits for a class of police officers, as defined by

that section, that is adopted by the commissioners court of the

county on or after the effective date of this Act.

SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.

______________________________
______________________________

President of the Senate
Speaker of the House

I certify that H.B. No. 4205 was passed by the House on May

10, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 103, Nays 27, 2 present, not

voting.

______________________________

Chief Clerk of the House

I certify that H.B. No. 4205 was passed by the Senate on May

21, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 25, Nays 6.

______________________________

Secretary of the Senate

APPROVED: _____________________

Date

_____________________

Governor