Bill Text: TX HB4729 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Introduced

Texas House Bill 4729

Introduced

Bill Title: Relating to the amounts budgeted by certain political subdivisions for fire protection, law enforcement, or emergency medical services.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-03-22 - Referred to State Affairs [HB4729 Detail]

Download: Texas-2023-HB4729-Introduced.html

	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.