H.B. No. 3649 aims to enhance the compensation and leave provisions for certain peace officers in Texas. The bill amends the Government Code to expand the definition of "state employee" to include commissioned law enforcement officers from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement and the insurance fraud unit of the Texas Department of Insurance. Additionally, it updates the list of entities that can commission peace officers, adding the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement while removing the previous mention of the comptroller.

Furthermore, the bill allows the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement to commission certified peace officers as investigators for specific administrative purposes and mandates that these officers be compensated according to the salary schedule outlined in the General Appropriations Act. The classification of commissioned peace officers employed by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement will be designated as a Schedule C position, effective from the state fiscal biennium beginning September 1, 2025, with the provision set to expire on September 1, 2027. The bill is set to take effect on September 1, 2025, and applies only to injuries occurring on or after that date.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Government Code 659.301, Government Code 661.918, Occupations Code 1701.160 (Occupations Code 1701, Government Code 661, Government Code 659)