| TO: | Honorable Garnet Coleman, Chair, House Committee on County Affairs |
| FROM: | John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | HB4625 by Lucio III (Relating to county regulation of fireworks during drought conditions.), As Introduced |
The bill would amend the Local Government Code to add Cinco de Mayo to the days when the Texas Forest Service is required to make its services available to requests from a county for a determination whether drought conditions exist on average in the county. Upon a determination that drought conditions exist on average in a specified county, the commissioners court would be authorized to hold a hearing to determine whether extreme drought conditions that pose an exceptional fire danger exist, and after a hearing, the county judge may issue a proclamation declaring a disaster caused by extreme drought conditions. Under current statute, rather than holding a hearing, the commissioners court may prohibit or restrict the sale or use of restricted fireworks in the unincorporated area of the county.
The bill stipulates the procedures for the hearing and for issuing the proclamation, as well as what may be included in the proclamation with regard to prohibitions and restrictions on sale or use of fireworks.
Based on analysis by the Texas Forest Service, it is assumed that implementing provisions of the bill can be done using existing resources.
| Source Agencies: | 576 Texas Forest Service
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| LBB Staff: | JOB, DB
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