BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 1632

By: Christian

County Affairs

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Rural volunteer fire departments are faced with escalating building costs due to engineering requirements.

C.S.H.B. 1632 creates an exception from certain building requirements for volunteer fire departments in counties with a population of 80,000 or less.

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. 1632 amends the Occupations Code to create an exception relating to the construction of certain public works for a building or other facility that is occupied exclusively by a volunteer fire department in a county with a population of 80,000 or less; is not routinely used by the public; is approved by an engineer, which is required to include an approval evidenced by an engineer stamp on a plan or document for a prefabricated building; and has a slab that is approved by an engineer for the specific building, which is required to include an approval evidenced by an engineer stamp on a plan or document of the slab's intended purpose.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the act does not receive the necessary vote, the act takes effect September 1, 2009.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 1632 differs from the original by adding two exceptions to the prohibition against a state or political subdivision of Texas constructing a public work involving engineering in which the public health, welfare, or safety is involved.