83R7042 JRR-D
By: Lavender H.B. No. 1654
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to designation of certain vehicles of the Texas Division
of Emergency Management as authorized emergency vehicles.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 541.201(1), Transportation Code, is
amended to read as follows:
(1) "Authorized emergency vehicle" means:
(A) a fire department or police vehicle;
(B) a public or private ambulance operated by a
person who has been issued a license by the [Texas] Department of
State Health Services;
(C) a municipal department or public service
corporation emergency vehicle that has been designated or
authorized by the governing body of a municipality;
(D) a vehicle that has been designated by the
director under Section 546.0065;
(E) a private vehicle of a volunteer firefighter
or a certified emergency medical services employee or volunteer
when responding to a fire alarm or medical emergency;
(F) [(E)] an industrial emergency response
vehicle, including an industrial ambulance, when responding to an
emergency, but only if the vehicle is operated in compliance with
criteria in effect September 1, 1989, and established by the
predecessor of the Texas Industrial Emergency Services Board of the
State Firemen's and Fire Marshals' Association of Texas;
(G) [(F)] a vehicle of a blood bank or tissue
bank, accredited or approved under the laws of this state or the
United States, when making emergency deliveries of blood, drugs,
medicines, or organs; or
(H) [(G)] a vehicle used for law enforcement
purposes that is owned or leased by a federal governmental entity.
SECTION 2. Subchapter A, Chapter 546, Transportation Code,
is amended by adding Section 546.0065 to read as follows:
Sec. 546.0065. AUTHORIZED EMERGENCY VEHICLES OF THE TEXAS
DIVISION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. The director may designate
vehicles of the Texas Division of Emergency Management that may be
operated as authorized emergency vehicles. A vehicle designated
under this section must contain an emblem or marking on the exterior
that clearly identifies the vehicle as a vehicle of the Texas
Division of Emergency Management.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2013.