SOUR LAKE, Texas — A bill introduced during the legislative session would change the way police officers are paid.
HB 1354, also known as Good Pay for Good Police, is a move to better compensate the people who serve and protect our community.
The bill is authored by Texas Rep. Carl Sherman.
"It’s really about providing a decent livable wage for law enforcement in small rural areas," Sherman said.
Sour Lake, Texas has a population of just under 2,000 people and Sour Lake Police Chief Aaron Burleson believes this bill could have great results for his department.
They are a small agency with about eight officers working full-time, but they still feel the recruiting pains of a larger agency. This is a struggle that Burleson knows all too well.
"We keep 'em for maybe one or two years, and then they go to bigger departments for better pay. Hopefully with this bill, if it passes, to help the smaller agencies like Sour Lake," Burleson said.
Burleson approached the city just two years ago to raise the pay for officers so that they could remain competitive in a market for first responders.
"Numerous smaller agencies across are having the same problem I'm having. They are losing. They can't recruit because this new generation doesn't want to be police officers," Burleson said.
Texas legislation says they have a surplus in their budget of $50 billion, which would cover the costs of raising wages for smaller police agencies.
To receive that money, officers have to be in good standing with the department and other oversight agencies.
"We have the resources for this bill. There is a fiscal note associated with this bill of 118 million," Sherman said.
Many small Texas police departments like Sour Lake are hoping to get a piece of that funding to secure a safer future for the community.
"Try to change that and see if we can get this younger generation in and try to keep them," Burleson said.
For now, this bill is in committee and backed by Republicans. But until then, law enforcement officials will be keeping their eye on the bill.