HB2513

HB2513 says that a 24-hour or 48-hour work shift counts as one workday when calculating paid-leave payments for covered public employees classified as fire protection personnel. The rule applies through Government Code 437.202, which covers specified authorized training or duty for members of the Texas military forces, military reserve components and state- or federally authorized urban search-and-rescue teams. It is not a general rule converting all long shifts into one day for every employment benefit. Final law, Section 1; underlying paid-leave statute.

The underlying statute generally provides up to 15 workdays of paid leave per fiscal year for qualifying authorized training or duty, with other provisions for such matters as state-employee carryover and certain disaster duty. HB2513 adds the long-shift calculation rule; it does not rewrite those eligibility conditions or simply add 15 more days. A qualifying 48-hour shift is one workday for this payment calculation, rather than being treated as six eight-hour workdays. The act does not establish a new hourly wage or change ordinary overtime rules. Final law; full leave provisions.

“Fire protection personnel” is a statutory category, not everyone associated with a fire department. It includes specified permanent, full-time fire and arson investigators, aircraft rescue/fire personnel and qualifying fire-department employees, with exclusions for listed clerical and other support staff. The person must also qualify under the public-service leave provision. The act took effect September 1, 2025. Definition; final law, Sections 1–2; history.