| TO: | Honorable Troy Fraser, Chair, Senate Committee on Natural Resources |
| FROM: | Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | HB2971 by Alonzo (Relating to the regulation of firefighters and fire departments by the Texas Commission on Fire Protection.), As Engrossed |
The bill would amend the Government Code to prevent a municipal employee from performing duties classified as wildland fire-fighting unless the person is a permanent, full-time fire department employee who is regularly assigned to perform one or more of the following duties: fire suppression; fire inspection; fire and arson investigation; marine fire fighting; aircraft rescue and fire fighting; fire training; fire education; fire administration; and any other position necessarily or customarily related to fire prevention or suppression. The bill would allow a municipal employee to perform a duty that may be classified as a wildland fire-fighting duty if the municipal employee is not acting as an employee of a municipality when performing the duty and is acting as a member of a volunteer fire department when performing the duty.
The bill would also require the Texas Commission on Fire Protection to adopt and implement rules relating to implementing the provisions of the bill by no later than January 1, 2014.
The bill would take effect immediately upon a two-thirds vote of all members in both chambers; otherwise, the bill would take effect September 1, 2013.
The Texas Municipal League (TML) reported that the bill would be a cost to some cities to hire permanent, full-time fire department employees for duties that could previously be performed by other staff. TML reported that a cost could not be determined at this time.
| Source Agencies: | 411 Commission on Fire Protection
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| LBB Staff: | UP, SZ, AI, JAW, KKR
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