| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to grants for emergency assistance under the rural |
|
|
volunteer fire department assistance program. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Section 614.102(c), Government Code, is amended |
|
|
to read as follows: |
|
|
(c) The director shall: |
|
|
(1) determine reasonable criteria and qualifications |
|
|
for the distribution of money from the volunteer fire department |
|
|
assistance fund, including: |
|
|
(A) the frequency, size, and severity of past |
|
|
wildfires in a volunteer fire department's jurisdiction; [and] |
|
|
(B) the potential for loss or damage to property |
|
|
resulting from future wildfires in the department's jurisdiction; |
|
|
and |
|
|
(C) the department's need for emergency |
|
|
assistance under Section 614.103(a-1); and |
|
|
(2) establish a procedure for reporting and processing |
|
|
requests for money from the fund. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Section 614.103, Government Code, is amended by |
|
|
adding Subsection (a-1) to read as follows: |
|
|
(a-1) A volunteer fire department whose equipment is |
|
|
damaged or lost in responding to a declared state of disaster under |
|
|
Chapter 418 in an area subject to the declaration may submit a |
|
|
request for emergency assistance from the fund for: |
|
|
(1) the replacement or repair of damaged or lost |
|
|
personal protective equipment or other firefighting equipment; and |
|
|
(2) the purchase of a machine to clean personal |
|
|
protective equipment. |
|
|
SECTION 3. Subchapter G, Chapter 614, Government Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 614.1055 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 614.1055. SEPARATE ACCOUNT FOR CERTAIN EMERGENCY |
|
|
ASSISTANCE. (a) The service shall maintain a separate account |
|
|
within the volunteer fire department assistance fund. |
|
|
(b) The account shall contain money from any legislative |
|
|
appropriations for the purposes of Subsection (c). |
|
|
(c) The money in the account may be used only to award grants |
|
|
in response to a request for emergency assistance under Section |
|
|
614.103(a-1). |
|
|
SECTION 4. As soon as practicable after the effective date |
|
|
of this Act, the director of the Texas A&M Forest Service shall |
|
|
adopt rules as necessary to implement Subchapter G, Chapter 614, |
|
|
Government Code, as amended by this Act. |
|
|
SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |