BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 3465

By: Martinez

County Affairs

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

There are currently no county fire marshal qualifications equivalent to that of other public safety department heads. H.B. 3465 seeks to address the qualification of a county fire marshal in a county that has adopted a fire code in order to provide for alignment with state law and ensure competency in the county fire marshal position by authorizing certain counties that have adopted a fire code to require that the county fire marshal be certified by the Texas Commission on Fire Protection as head of a prevention-only fire department.

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. 3465 amends the Local Government Code to authorize a county with a population of over 250,000 or a county adjacent to a county with a population of over 250,000 that has adopted a fire code under applicable state law to require that the county fire marshal be certified by the Texas Commission on Fire Protection as head of a prevention-only fire department. The bill applies only to a fire marshal commissioned by a county on or after the bill's effective date.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2023.