HB2513

Regular Session

Relating to a paid leave of absence for public employees serving as fire protection personnel who are engaged in certain military service.

ModeratePlan for compliance

Low Cost

Effective:2025-06-20

Enforcing Agencies

Human Resources/Payroll Departments of State Agencies • Human Resources/Payroll Departments of Political Subdivisions (Cities, Counties, Special Districts)

Compliance Analysis

Key implementation requirements and action items for compliance with this legislation

Implementation Timeline

Effective Date: June 20, 2025 (Immediate effect due to supermajority vote).
Compliance Deadline: Immediate. Payroll cycles processing on or after June 20, 2025, must utilize the new deduction logic. Retroactive corrections are required for any leave processed incorrectly since that date.
Agency Rulemaking: No external agency rulemaking is mandated; however, internal HR policies must be updated immediately to define "Fire Protection Personnel" consistent with Texas Government Code Section 419.021.

Immediate Action Plan

1. Isolate the Population: Generate a report of all employees classified as "Fire Protection Personnel" under Govt Code 419.021.
2. Reprogram HRIS: Configure the payroll system to deduct 1.0 units of Military Leave for every 1.0 shift missed for this specific group, overriding standard hourly conversion rules.
3. Issue Retroactive Corrections: If any payrolls have run since June 20, 2025, manually restore leave balances for firefighters who were deducted multiple days for a single shift.
4. Notify Leadership: Inform Fire Chiefs and Union representatives that the change is implemented to demonstrate proactive compliance.

Operational Changes Required

Contracts

Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs): Review all Meet and Confer or Collective Bargaining Agreements immediately. Any clause defining a "day" of military leave as 8 hours for fire personnel is now null and void under state law. You must apply the statutory minimum (1 shift = 1 day) regardless of existing contract language.
Employee Handbooks: Update Military Leave sections to distinguish between "Standard Staff" (standard hourly conversion) and "Fire Protection Personnel" (shift-based deduction).

Hiring/Training

Classification Coding: HRIS administrators must tag employees holding active Texas Commission on Fire Protection (TCFP) certifications. The new leave logic applies *only* to this specific job classification, not to general EMS or administrative staff unless they meet the statutory definition.
Payroll Training: Payroll staff must be trained to stop converting fire shifts into 8-hour increments for military leave banks.

Reporting & Record-Keeping

Leave Bank Audits: Conduct an immediate audit of military leave banks for all fire personnel. Ensure that any military leave taken on or after June 20, 2025, was deducted at a 1:1 ratio (1 shift : 1 day).
Certification Tracking: Maintain current TCFP certifications in personnel files to justify the differential leave treatment during financial audits.

Fees & Costs

Budget Impact: While the Legislative Budget Board predicts no significant fiscal impact, operational costs will effectively rise. Firefighters will now exhaust their 15-day statutory military leave bank much slower (burning 1 day per shift rather than 3), resulting in the employer paying for more total hours of military absence per fiscal year.

Strategic Ambiguities & Considerations

Partial Shifts: The statute explicitly equates a "24-hour or 48-hour work shift" to one workday. It is silent on partial absences (e.g., a firefighter leaving 12 hours into a 24-hour shift for a drill).
*Risk:* Deducting a full day for a partial absence may invite litigation.
*Strategy:* Until case law or AG opinions clarify, adopt a pro-rata approach (e.g., 12 hours = 0.5 leave days) to remain defensible.
Fiscal Year Crossover: The law took effect in June, mid-fiscal year for many entities. Ensure the new calculation applies to the *remainder* of the current fiscal year; do not wait for the new fiscal year to implement.

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Legislative Timeline

This bill's path through the Texas Legislature

TopicsFire Fighters & Police Fire Fighters & Police--general Military & Veterans State Employees Employee Benefits & Leave

Official Analysis

View HRO Analysis View All Bill Documents

BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 2513

By: Tepper

Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Current law entitles certain public employees who engage in certain military service to a paid leave of absence of up to 15 days to engage in authorized training or duty. The bill author has informed the committee that firefighters often work weekends with shifts that cover multiple days, resulting in the accelerated use of those 15 days, and that firefighters often use their own paid time off to meet their military requirements. C.S.H.B. 2513 seeks to ensure that a 24-hour or 48-hour firefighter shift only counts as one workday regardless of how many days the shift covers.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 2513 amends the Government Code to establish that a 24-hour or 48-hour work shift constitutes one workday for purposes of calculating the payment amount for a paid leave of absence from duties for qualifying military service in a fiscal year for a person classified as fire protection personnel who is an officer or employee of the state or a political subdivision and who is a member of the Texas military forces, a reserve component of the armed forces, or a member of a state or federally authorized urban search and rescue team. The bill defines "fire protection personnel" by reference to the definition of that term under statutory provisions relating to the regulation of fire fighters and fire departments.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2025.

COMPARISON OF INTRODUCED AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 2513 may differ from the introduced in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

The substitute includes a 48-hour work shift as one workday for purposes of calculating the payment amount for a paid leave of absence from duties in a fiscal year for certain fire protection personnel under the bill's provisions, whereas the introduced did not.

House Authors

Rep. Carl TepperRepublican · Primary Author

Joint Authors

John Lujan (R)

Senate Sponsors

Sen. Charles PerryRepublican · Primary Sponsor

Cosponsors (1)

Cesar Blanco (D)

Bill Text(with markup)

H.B. No. 2513

View bill text in multiple formats on Texas Legislature website

Fiscal NoteView Original

	AN ACT
	relating to a paid leave of absence for public employees serving as
	fire protection personnel who are engaged in certain military
	service.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
	SECTION 1. Section 437.202, Government Code, is amended by
	adding Subsection (a-2) to read as follows:
	(a-2) For purposes of calculating the payment amount for a
	paid leave of absence from duties in a fiscal year for a person
	described by Subsection (a) who is classified as fire protection
	personnel, as defined by Section 419.021, a 24-hour or 48-hour work
	shift constitutes one workday.
	SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.

LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 89TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION


April 4, 2025

TO:	Honorable Cole Hefner, Chair, House Committee on Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs

FROM:	Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board

IN RE:	HB2513 by Tepper (Relating to a paid leave of absence for public employees serving as fire protection personnel who are engaged in certain military service.), As Introduced

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

It is assumed that any costs associated with the bill could be absorbed using existing resources.

Local Government Impact

No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.

Source Agencies:

242 State Commission on Judicial Conduct, 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts, 320 Texas Workforce Commission, 352 Bond Review Board, 452 Department of Licensing and Regulation, 503 Texas Medical Board, 529 Health and Human Services Commission, 582 Commission on Environmental Quality, 601 Department of Transportation, 710 Texas A&M University System Administrative and General Offices, 720 The University of Texas System Administration

LBB Staff:

JMc, MGol, THO, NAz

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about HB2513

What does Texas HB2513 do?

HB2513 fundamentally alters payroll logic for public employers by redefining "workday" for military leave calculations specifically for fire protection personnel. Effective immediately, a missed 24-hour or 48-hour shift must be deducted as one single day of military leave entitlement, prohibiting the prior practice of converting shift hours into multiple standard 8-hour workdays. Implementation Timeline Effective Date: June 20, 2025 (Immediate effect due to supermajority vote).

Who authored HB2513?

HB2513 was authored by Texas Representative Carl Tepper during the Regular Session.

When was HB2513 signed into law?

HB2513 was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott on June 20, 2025.

Which agencies enforce HB2513?

HB2513 is enforced by Human Resources/Payroll Departments of State Agencies and Human Resources/Payroll Departments of Political Subdivisions (Cities, Counties, Special Districts).

How urgent is compliance with HB2513?

The compliance urgency for HB2513 is rated as "moderate". Businesses and organizations should review the requirements and timeline to ensure timely compliance.

What is the cost impact of HB2513?

The cost impact of HB2513 is estimated as "low". This may vary based on industry and implementation requirements.

What topics does HB2513 address?

HB2513 addresses topics including fire fighters & police, fire fighters & police--general, military & veterans, state employees and employee benefits & leave.

Legislative data provided by LegiScanLast updated: November 25, 2025

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