| 1 | 1 | | 85R3980 TSR-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Springer H.B. No. 1958 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to the licensure or certification of volunteer |
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| 8 | 8 | | firefighters and members of industrial emergency response teams. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter Z, Chapter 419, Government Code, is |
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| 11 | 11 | | amended by adding Section 419.910 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 419.910. CERTAIN REGULATION PROHIBITED. (a) In this |
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| 13 | 13 | | section: |
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| 14 | 14 | | (1) "State agency" has the meaning assigned by Section |
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| 15 | 15 | | 2103.001. |
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| 16 | 16 | | (2) "Volunteer firefighter" means a member of a |
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| 17 | 17 | | volunteer fire department who is not: |
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| 18 | 18 | | (A) a full-time paid employee; or |
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| 19 | 19 | | (B) a part-time fire protection employee |
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| 20 | 20 | | described by Section 419.0321. |
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| 21 | 21 | | (b) Except as provided by Subsection (c), a state agency may |
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| 22 | 22 | | not: |
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| 23 | 23 | | (1) require a volunteer firefighter to obtain a |
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| 24 | 24 | | license or certification in order to be a volunteer firefighter; or |
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| 25 | 25 | | (2) require a member of an industrial emergency |
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| 26 | 26 | | response team to obtain a license or certification in order to be a |
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| 27 | 27 | | member of an industrial emergency response team. |
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| 28 | 28 | | (c) A state agency may require a volunteer firefighter or a |
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| 29 | 29 | | member of an industrial emergency response team to possess certain |
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| 30 | 30 | | credentials, as determined by the agency, to participate in |
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| 31 | 31 | | disaster response or deployments requested by: |
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| 32 | 32 | | (1) the Texas A&M Forest Service; |
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| 33 | 33 | | (2) the Department of Public Safety; or |
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| 34 | 34 | | (3) the Texas Division of Emergency Management. |
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| 35 | 35 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 36 | 36 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 37 | 37 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 38 | 38 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 39 | 39 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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