BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 2461

By: Stucky

Urban Affairs

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

It has been reported that legislative action is needed to facilitate the removal of a particular municipality from the emergency communication district to which it currently belongs in order to prevent continuing potential liabilities or applicability of certain statutory mandates relating to the existing agreement. H.B. 2461 seeks to address this situation by amending the applicable statutes to provide for that removal.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

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

H.B. 2461 amends the Health and Safety Code to authorize a municipality that is a participating jurisdiction under the Emergency Telephone Number Act to request that the municipality be removed from an emergency communication district if the municipality operated a consolidated public safety answering point with at least three emergency communication districts that meet specified criteria for at least a three-year period before September 1, 2019. The bill requires the board of a district that receives such a request to approve the request and, not later than the 91st day before the date the removal will take effect, notify each service supplier providing service in the district of the scheduled removal. The removal must take effect on a date that allows the board to comply with the notice requirements and is not later than the 180th day after the date the board receives the request. The bill establishes that removal of the municipality does not diminish or impair the rights of the holders of any outstanding and unpaid bonds, warrants, or other obligations of the district. The bill requires a removed municipality to compensate the district in an amount equal to the municipality's pro rata share of the district's indebtedness at the time the municipality is removed and requires the district to apply the compensation exclusively to the payment of the municipality's pro rata share of the district's indebtedness.

H.B. 2461 authorizes the board of an emergency communication district created under the Emergency Telephone Number Act to impose a 9-1-1 emergency service fee at the statutorily authorized rate regardless of whether an election was held for the district at which the voters authorized a different rate.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2019.