BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 505

By: White

County Affairs

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

There have been calls to allow the sale of fireworks to the public for the celebration of Labor Day. Additionally, allowing sales on and before Labor Day weekend will help support the fireworks industry, which is limited to making these sales during a few weeks of the year in Texas. C.S.H.B. 505 seeks to address this issue by providing for the sale of fireworks during a specified period around Labor Day weekend.

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. 505 amends the Occupations Code to authorize a retail fireworks permit holder to sell fireworks to the public for the Labor Day holiday during the period beginning five days before the first Monday in September and ending at midnight on the first Monday in September in a county in which the commissioners court has approved the sale of fireworks during the period.

C.S.H.B. 505 amends the Local Government Code to require the Texas A&M Forest Service to make its services available each day during the Labor Day holiday fireworks season to respond to a county request to determine whether drought conditions exist on average in the county. The bill sets the deadline by which the county commissioners court must adopt an order prohibiting or restricting the sale or use of restricted fireworks in the unincorporated area of the county based on a drought determination for that fireworks season.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2021.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 505 differs from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways by conforming to certain bill drafting conventions.