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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the amounts budgeted by certain political subdivisions |
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for fire protection, law enforcement, or emergency medical |
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services. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Chapter 140, Local Government Code, is amended |
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by adding Section 140.0046 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 140.0046. LIMITATION ON AUTHORITY TO REDUCE BUDGET FOR |
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PUBLIC SAFETY SERVICES. (a) In this section: |
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(1) "Comparable service" means: |
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(A) the services provided by a department or |
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similar unit of a political subdivision that are identifiable in |
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the political subdivision's budget, if the political subdivision is |
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separated into departments or similar units; or |
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(B) a service provided by a political subdivision |
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that is identifiable in the political subdivision's budget, if the |
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political subdivision is not separated into units described by |
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Paragraph (A). |
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(2) "Public safety service" means a fire protection, |
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law enforcement, or emergency medical service. |
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(b) This section does not apply to a school district. |
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(c) Except as provided by Subsection (d), a political |
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subdivision may not adopt a budget that allocates an amount of money |
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to provide a public safety service that is less than the amount |
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allocated to provide that service in the preceding fiscal year if: |
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(1) the reduction in the amount of money allocated to |
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provide the public safety service is greater than the reduction in |
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the amount of money allocated in that budget to provide a comparable |
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service if compared to the amounts allocated to provide those |
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services in the preceding fiscal year; and |
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(2) the percentage difference between the amount of |
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money allocated in that budget to provide the public safety service |
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and the amount allocated to provide that service in the preceding |
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fiscal year is greater than the percentage difference between the |
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amount of money allocated in that budget to provide the comparable |
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service and the amount allocated to provide that comparable service |
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in the preceding fiscal year. |
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(d) A political subdivision may adopt a budget that does not |
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meet the requirements of Subsection (c) as it relates to a public |
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safety service if the political subdivision will not provide that |
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service in the fiscal year for which the budget is adopted. |
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(e) For purposes of this section, the amount of money |
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allocated to provide a service includes all maintenance, |
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operations, and debt service costs associated with providing the |
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service. |
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SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only |
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to a budget adopted by a political subdivision on or after the |
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effective date of this Act. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |