1-1     By:  Chisum (Senate Sponsor - Bivins)                 H.B. No. 2438

 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House May 5, 1997;

 1-3     May 6, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on Economic

 1-4     Development; May 16, 1997, reported favorably by the following

 1-5     vote:  Yeas 8, Nays 0; May 16, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to the fire insurance rates and fire suppression ratings

 1-9     of a municipality at or near the state's borders.

1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-11           SECTION 1.  Subchapter C, Chapter 5, Insurance Code, is

1-12     amended by adding Article 5.25-3 to read as follows:

1-13           Art. 5.25-3.  FIRE INSURANCE RATES AND FIRE SUPPRESSION

1-14     RATINGS FOR BORDER MUNICIPALITY.  The commissioner, in adopting

1-15     fire insurance rates or in assigning or evaluating a fire

1-16     suppression rating for a municipality at or near the border between

1-17     this state and another state or the United Mexican States, shall

1-18     take into account the existence and capabilities of a fire

1-19     department or volunteer fire department that serves an adjoining or

1-20     nearby municipality in the other state or the United Mexican States

1-21     and that by agreement or by long-standing practice provides fire

1-22     suppression services to the Texas municipality.

1-23           SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-24     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-25     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-26     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-27     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

1-28     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

1-29     passage, and it is so enacted.

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