Bill: SB 289, 84(R) - 2015

Committee

Senate Agriculture, Water & Rural Affairs

Vote Recommendation

Vote Recommendation Economic Freedom Property Rights Personal Responsibility Limited Government Individual Liberty
Yes Neutral Neutral Positive Positive Neutral

Author(s)

Craig Estes

Bill Caption

Relating to the licensure or certification of volunteer firefighters and members of industrial emergency response teams.

Fiscal Notes

The bill would amend the Government Code to prohibit a state agency from requiring the licensing or certification of an individual as a condition of being a volunteer firefighter, or requiring a member of an industrial emergency response team to obtain a license or certification as a condition of being a member of such a team. The bill would define a "volunteer firefighter" as a member of a volunteer fire department who is not a full-time paid employee.

The Texas Commission on Fire Protection (TCFP) estimates it regulates approximately 2,200 individuals classified as part-time fire protection employees. To hold certification with TCFP, these part-time individuals must take a certification examination and pay a fee of $85, and then submit an application for certification with an additional fee of $85, totaling $170 to initially become certified by TCFP. The individuals then pay a certification renewal fee of $85 annually if they wish to continue to hold certification with the agency.

Presumably, removal of regulatory authority over these individuals could have a negative impact on revenue generated by the agency, to the degree the part-time fire protection employees noted above who participate in the programs offered by the agency opt not to participate. This fiscal note assumes the number of those volunteers opting not acquire or renew a license or certification from TCFP is indeterminate.

Bill Analysis

SB 289 would modify the Government Code and prohibit state agencies from requiring that volunteer firefighters and members of industrial emergency response teams obtain licensure or certification to hold their positions. A volunteer firefighter is here defined as a member of a volunteer fire department who works part time.  

Vote Recommendation Notes

Presumably SB 289 would have a marginal negligible fiscal impact in that there are currently around 2,000 volunteer firefighters paying fees to the Texas Commission on Fire Protection and would be free from such fees if the bill were passed. However, this loss is more than overshadowed by the fact that SB 289 is an excellent advance in the areas of limited government and personal responsibility. We believe that volunteer firefighting organizations and industrial emergency response teams are perfectly capable of self-regulation and need not defer to various state agencies. 


Source URL (retrieved on 03/28/2024 12:03 PM): http://reports.texasaction.com/bill/84r/sb289?print_view=true