BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research Center C.S.S.B. 1715 By: West Business & Commerce 4/8/2009 Committee Report (Substituted) AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT Currently, Chapter 92 (Residential Tenancies) of the Property Code requires landlords to install smoke detectors, but only those which would alert a hearing person. C.S.S.B. 1715 requires a landlord, if requested by a tenant as an accommodation for a person with a disability or as required by law as a reasonable accommodation for a person with a disability, to install smoke detectors that are capable of alerting a hearing-impaired person in the bedrooms the detectors serve. 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 92.254, Property Code, by amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (a-1), as follows: (a) Requires that a smoke detector be designed with an alarm audible to a person in the bedrooms it serves. (a-1) Requires that a smoke detector, if requested by a tenant as an accommodation for a person with a disability or as required by law as a reasonable accommodation for a person with a disability, in addition to complying with Subsection (a), be capable of alerting a hearing-impaired person in the bedrooms it serves. SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2009.
BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center C.S.S.B. 1715
By: West
Business & Commerce
4/8/2009
Committee Report (Substituted)
AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
Currently, Chapter 92 (Residential Tenancies) of the Property Code requires landlords to install smoke detectors, but only those which would alert a hearing person.
C.S.S.B. 1715 requires a landlord, if requested by a tenant as an accommodation for a person with a disability or as required by law as a reasonable accommodation for a person with a disability, to install smoke detectors that are capable of alerting a hearing-impaired person in the bedrooms the detectors serve.
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 92.254, Property Code, by amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (a-1), as follows:
(a) Requires that a smoke detector be designed with an alarm audible to a person in the bedrooms it serves.
(a-1) Requires that a smoke detector, if requested by a tenant as an accommodation for a person with a disability or as required by law as a reasonable accommodation for a person with a disability, in addition to complying with Subsection (a), be capable of alerting a hearing-impaired person in the bedrooms it serves.
SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2009.