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.