| TO: | Honorable Craig Estes, Chair, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Rural Affairs & Homeland Security |
| FROM: | Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | SB1904 by Hegar (Relating to the administration of the Texas Commission on Fire Protection.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted |
The bill would amend the Government Code relating to the functions of the Texas Commission on Fire Protection ("Commission"). The bill would administratively attach the Commission to the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX). The bill would stipulate that the powers and duties of the executive director of the Commission shall be assumed by the director of the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service - Emergency Services Training Institute.
The bill would require TEEX to provide administrative assistance and services to the Commission; accept, deposit, and disburse money made available to the Commission; and direct the Commission in a manner that reduces costs and facilitates firefighter access to training, certification and educational resources.
The bill would also require that TEEX form a committee of stakeholders to conduct a comprehensive review of the duties of the Commission and report the results of this review to the Legislature by September 1, 2014. The bill would stipulate the report to the Legislature must identify the essential personnel of the Commission; provide a time table for any movement of employees and/or property; include an inventory of all Commission assets; provide for any unspent appropriations of the Commission; and detail the process of transferring the functions of the Commission to TEEX or other appropriate agency.
It is assumed that implementing the provisions of the bill would result in a savings to the General Revenue Fund of $150,000 each fiscal year and that 3.0 Full-time Equivalent Positions would no longer be needed each fiscal year.
| Source Agencies: | 411 Commission on Fire Protection, 716 Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service, 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts, 454 Department of Insurance
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| LBB Staff: | UP, JAW, SZ, AI, KK, MW, ER
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