| 3 | 5 | | |
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| 4 | 6 | | |
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| 5 | 7 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 8 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 9 | | relating to a study of rural firefighting and technical rescue |
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| 8 | 10 | | service capabilities. |
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| 9 | 11 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 12 | | SECTION 1. STUDY ON RURAL FIREFIGHTING AND TECHNICAL RESCUE |
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| 11 | 13 | | SERVICE CAPABILITIES. (a) In this Act, "service" means the Texas |
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| 12 | 14 | | A&M Engineering Extension Service. |
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| 13 | 15 | | (b) The service shall conduct a study of rural firefighting |
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| 14 | 16 | | and technical rescue service capabilities and compare those |
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| 15 | 17 | | capabilities with those of urban municipalities. The study must |
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| 16 | 18 | | consider disparities in: |
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| 17 | 19 | | (1) available funding for personnel and equipment; |
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| 18 | 20 | | (2) the number of qualified candidates to fill new or |
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| 19 | 21 | | vacant firefighting and rescue personnel positions; |
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| 20 | 22 | | (3) opportunities for affordable training for |
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| 21 | 23 | | firefighting and rescue personnel; and |
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| 22 | 24 | | (4) any other factor the service considers relevant. |
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| 23 | 25 | | SECTION 2. REPORT. Not later than December 1, 2026, the |
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| 24 | 26 | | service shall submit to the governor, the lieutenant governor, and |
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| 25 | 27 | | the speaker of the house of representatives a report that includes |
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| 26 | 28 | | the findings of the study and any recommendations based on the |
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| 27 | 29 | | study. |
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| 28 | 30 | | SECTION 3. EXPIRATION. This Act expires September 1, 2027. |
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| 29 | 31 | | SECTION 4. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect |
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| 30 | 32 | | immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members |
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| 31 | 33 | | elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas |
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| 32 | 34 | | Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for |
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| 33 | 35 | | immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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