Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1898 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
	1	+	89R11681 LRM-D
1	2		By: Johnson S.B. No. 1898
2		-	(In the Senate - Filed March 4, 2025; March 17, 2025, read
3		-	first time and referred to Committee on Water, Agriculture and
4		-	Rural Affairs; April 15, 2025, reported adversely, with favorable
5		-	Committee Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 7, Nays 0;
6		-	April 15, 2025, sent to printer.)
7		-	Click here to see the committee vote
8		-	COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 1898 By: Hancock
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13	7		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
14	8		AN ACT
15	9		relating to the discharge or use of certain firefighting foams for
16	10		testing or training.
17	11		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
18	12		SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 501, Health and Safety
19	13		Code, is amended by adding Section 501.027 to read as follows:
20	14		Sec. 501.027. DISCHARGE OR USE OF CERTAIN FIREFIGHTING
21	15		FOAMS PROHIBITED FOR TESTING OR TRAINING. (a) In this section:
22	16		(1) "Fixed foam system" means a complete installation
23	17		engineered for flammable liquid fire hazards that discharges
24	18		through a fixed discharge device foam piped from a central foam
25	19		station onto a flammable liquid fire hazard. The installation must
26	20		have permanently installed foam proportioning components and may
27	21		contain multiple listed components and foam.
28	22		(2) "Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals"
29		-	means non-polymeric perfluoroalkyl substances, saturated
30		-	polyfluoroalkyl substances, and side-chain fluorinated polymers
31		-	that contain at least two fully fluorinated sequential carbon
32		-	atoms. The term does not include gases or substances that become
33		-	gases in use that are otherwise regulated by state or federal laws,
34		-	rules, or regulations, or by international protocols.
	23	+	means a class of fluorinated organic chemicals containing at least
	24	+	one fully fluorinated carbon atom and designed to be fully
	25	+	functional in a Class B firefighting foam used to extinguish
	26	+	flammable liquid fire.
35	27		(3) "Testing facility" means a facility, including a
36	28		facility used for firefighter training, that allows for the
37	29		discharge of firefighting foam in a nonemergency situation for the
38	30		evaluation and calibration of firefighting equipment and foam.
39	31		(b) A person may not discharge a Class B firefighting foam
40	32		designed to extinguish flammable liquid fires that contains
41	33		intentionally added perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals:
42	34		(1) during or for the training of firefighters; or
43	35		(2) during or for testing, including calibration
44	36		testing, conformance testing, or fixed foam system testing, unless
45	37		the discharge or use:
46		-	(A) is otherwise:
47		-	(i) required by law or a rule or order of
48		-	the applicable state agency or political subdivision; or
49		-	(ii) necessary to meet applicable National
50		-	Fire Protection Association standards; and
	38	+	(A) is otherwise required by law or a rule or
	39	+	order of the applicable state agency or political subdivision; and
51	40		(B) occurs in a testing facility that has
52	41		implemented appropriate containment, treatment, and disposal
53	42		measures to prevent the release of the foam into the environment.
54	43		(c) A person shall use a non-fluorinated firefighting
55	44		training foam or other non-fluorinated surrogate during or for the
56	45		training of firefighters. Training that uses a non-fluorinated
57	46		firefighting training foam or other non-fluorinated surrogate
58	47		under this subsection must be conducted in a manner that ensures
59	48		collection of the used foam or surrogate, regardless of the foam or
60	49		surrogate type.
61	50		(d) This section does not prohibit or restrict:
62	51		(1) the manufacture, sale, or distribution of
63	52		firefighting foam that contains intentionally added perfluoroalkyl
64	53		and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals; or
65	54		(2) the discharge or use of firefighting foam that
66	55		contains intentionally added perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl
67	56		chemicals during emergency firefighting operations.
68		-	SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.
69		-	* * * * *
	57	+	SECTION 2. Notwithstanding Section 501.027, Health and
	58	+	Safety Code, as added by this Act, a person who uses a firefighting
	59	+	foam designed to extinguish flammable liquid fires that contains
	60	+	intentionally added perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals
	61	+	during or for the training of firefighters or testing is not
	62	+	required to comply with that section until January 1, 2027.
	63	+	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.