BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	H.B. 2713
	By: Darby et al. (Hancock)
	Local Government
	5/16/2025
	Engrossed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

Current law establishes municipal civil service for firefighters and police officers to ensure that departments are efficient and staffed by capable personnel who are free from political influence and have employment tenure as public servants. The bill author has informed the committee that municipalities and counties that have adopted a civil service system achieve higher professional standards, providing firefighters and police officers with an environment free from political influence, which is essential for progress in the profession. The 88th Legislature passed H.B. 4227 to restrict the ability to repeal civil service for firefighters and police officers to municipalities with a population of less than 950,000. H.B. 2713 seeks to provide for municipalities to retain a civil service system for firefighters and police officers by lowering the population threshold at which a municipality's governing body must order an election for the repeal of the system on receipt of an applicable petition.

H.B. 2713 amends current law relating to the repeal of a municipal civil service system for firefighters and police officers in certain municipalities.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Section 143.004(e), Local Government Code, to require the governing body, if the governing body of a municipality with a population of less than 50,000, rather than 950,000, that has operated under Chapter 143 (Municipal Civil Service for Firefighters and Police Officers) for at least one year receives a petition requesting an election to repeal this chapter that is signed by at least 10 percent of the qualified voters of the municipality, to order an election submitting to the voters the question on whether this chapter should be repealed.�

SECTION 2. Provides that the change in law made by this Act applies only to a petition for which an election has not been ordered before the effective date of this Act. Provides that a petition for which an election has been ordered before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect when the election was ordered, and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.

SECTION 3. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2025.