88R8959 KBB-D
By: Tinderholt H.B. No. 4729
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the amounts budgeted by certain political subdivisions
for fire protection, law enforcement, or emergency medical
services.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Chapter 140, Local Government Code, is amended
by adding Section 140.0046 to read as follows:
Sec. 140.0046. LIMITATION ON AUTHORITY TO REDUCE BUDGET FOR
PUBLIC SAFETY SERVICES. (a) In this section:
(1) "Comparable service" means:
(A) the services provided by a department or
similar unit of a political subdivision that are identifiable in
the political subdivision's budget, if the political subdivision is
separated into departments or similar units; or
(B) a service provided by a political subdivision
that is identifiable in the political subdivision's budget, if the
political subdivision is not separated into units described by
Paragraph (A).
(2) "Public safety service" means a fire protection,
law enforcement, or emergency medical service.
(b) This section does not apply to a school district.
(c) Except as provided by Subsection (d), a political
subdivision may not adopt a budget that allocates an amount of money
to provide a public safety service that is less than the amount
allocated to provide that service in the preceding fiscal year if:
(1) the reduction in the amount of money allocated to
provide the public safety service is greater than the reduction in
the amount of money allocated in that budget to provide a comparable
service if compared to the amounts allocated to provide those
services in the preceding fiscal year; and
(2) the percentage difference between the amount of
money allocated in that budget to provide the public safety service
and the amount allocated to provide that service in the preceding
fiscal year is greater than the percentage difference between the
amount of money allocated in that budget to provide the comparable
service and the amount allocated to provide that comparable service
in the preceding fiscal year.
(d) A political subdivision may adopt a budget that does not
meet the requirements of Subsection (c) as it relates to a public
safety service if the political subdivision will not provide that
service in the fiscal year for which the budget is adopted.
(e) For purposes of this section, the amount of money
allocated to provide a service includes all maintenance,
operations, and debt service costs associated with providing the
service.
SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only
to a budget adopted by a political subdivision on or after the
effective date of this Act.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.