By Raymond                                            H.B. No. 2030
       74R105 CAG-D
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to the ability of a county to recover the cost of
    1-3  furnishing fire protection if a fire is negligently, recklessly, or
    1-4  intentionally set.
    1-5        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-6        SECTION 1.  Subchapter A, Chapter 352, Local Government Code,
    1-7  is amended by adding Section 352.006 to read as follows:
    1-8        Sec. 352.006.  CIVIL ACTION TO RECOVER COSTS OF FIRE
    1-9  PROTECTION.  (a)  A county may bring a civil action to recover from
   1-10  a person the costs incurred by the county in furnishing fire
   1-11  protection to control or extinguish a fire if the fire was
   1-12  negligently, recklessly, or intentionally set or started by the
   1-13  person.
   1-14        (b)  Jurisdiction and venue of an action under this section
   1-15  are in the district court or the county court of law of the county
   1-16  bringing the action.
   1-17        SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1995, and
   1-18  applies only to a cause of action that accrues on or after that
   1-19  date.  An action that accrued before the effective date of this Act
   1-20  is governed by the law applicable to the action as it existed
   1-21  immediately before the effective date of this Act, and that law is
   1-22  continued in effect for that purpose.
   1-23        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
   1-24  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    2-1  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
    2-2  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
    2-3  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.