BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 2494

By: Metcalf

County Affairs

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Orange County is currently divided into four individual emergency services districts. Each of these districts has five emergency services commissioners who are elected by single-member districts, resulting in 20 single-member districts within the county. There are concerns about the overall effects on the districts caused by the lack of candidates interested in serving as a commissioner in some of these single-member districts. H.B. 2494 seeks to address this issue by providing for these positions to be elected at-large within certain emergency services districts as described by the bill.

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

H.B. 2494 amends the Health and Safety Code to change the manner of election of emergency services commissioners from single-member districts to at-large for an emergency services district located wholly in a county with a population of less than 200,000 that borders another state and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.

H.B. 2494 requires the county judge of a county with such an emergency services district to establish an election to elect new emergency services commissioners of that district in the applicable manner for election of the initial commissioners as if the district had been created on the bill's effective date and sets out related provisions.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2021.