87R1281 SMT-D
 
  By: Tinderholt H.B. No. 1692
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the amounts budgeted by certain political subdivisions
  for fire protection, law enforcement, or emergency medical
  services.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Chapter 140, Local Government Code, is amended
  by adding Section 140.0046 to read as follows:
         Sec. 140.0046.  LIMITATION ON AUTHORITY TO REDUCE BUDGET FOR
  PUBLIC SAFETY SERVICES. (a) In this section:
               (1)  "Comparable service" means:
                     (A)  the services provided by a department or
  similar unit of a political subdivision that are identifiable in
  the political subdivision's budget, if the political subdivision is
  separated into departments or similar units; or
                     (B)  a service provided by a political subdivision
  that is identifiable in the political subdivision's budget, if the
  political subdivision is not separated into units described by
  Paragraph (A).
               (2)  "Public safety service" means a fire protection,
  law enforcement, or emergency medical service.
         (b)  This section does not apply to a school district.
         (c)  Except as provided by Subsection (d), a political
  subdivision may not adopt a budget that allocates an amount of money
  to provide a public safety service that is less than the amount
  allocated to provide that service in the preceding fiscal year if:
               (1)  the reduction in the amount of money allocated to
  provide the public safety service is greater than the reduction in
  the amount of money allocated in that budget to provide a comparable
  service if compared to the amounts allocated to provide those
  services in the preceding fiscal year; and
               (2)  the percentage difference between the amount of
  money allocated in that budget to provide the public safety service
  and the amount allocated to provide that service in the preceding
  fiscal year is greater than the percentage difference between the
  amount of money allocated in that budget to provide the comparable
  service and the amount allocated to provide that comparable service
  in the preceding fiscal year.
         (d)  A political subdivision may adopt a budget that does not
  meet the requirements of Subsection (c) as it relates to a public
  safety service if the political subdivision will not provide that
  service in the fiscal year for which the budget is adopted.
         (e)  For purposes of this section, the amount of money
  allocated to provide a service includes all maintenance,
  operations, and debt service costs associated with providing the
  service.
         SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies only
  to a budget adopted by a political subdivision on or after the
  effective date of this Act.
         SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.