BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 5424

By: Bonnen

Intergovernmental Affairs

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The bill author has informed the committee that volunteer fire departments are essential to many communities across Texas and 82 percent of the fire departments in Texas are either fully or mostly volunteer, meaning that a significant number of Texas citizens are being served by volunteer firefighters who are not compensated. H.B. 5424 seeks to address this issue by allowing volunteer firefighters to be paid up to 20 percent of what full-time firefighters in adjacent areas are paid.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

H.B. 5424 amends the Government Code to remove the prohibition against a fire department compensating, reimbursing, or providing benefits to a person the department has designated as a volunteer or other auxiliary fire fighter to the extent that the person would be considered fully paid fire protection personnel and to limit instead a fire department's compensation, reimbursement, or provision of benefits in a calendar year to any individual designated as such to 20 percent of the total compensation paid to full-time fire protection personnel in the adjacent area.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2026.