Relating to funding for certain volunteer fire departments, to the preparation for and the prevention, management, and potential effects of wildfires, and to emergency communications in this state, the official text

S.B. No. 34

AN ACT

relating to funding for certain volunteer fire departments, to the

preparation for and the prevention, management, and potential

effects of wildfires, and to emergency communications in this

state.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. (a) In this section:

(1) "Fuel loading" means the amount of combustible

material in a defined space expressed quantitatively in terms of

weight of fuel per unit area.

(2) "Service" means the Texas A&M Forest Service.

(3) "University" means West Texas A&M University.

(b) The service and university shall jointly conduct a study

to determine the status and condition of fuel loading in wildfire

risk zones in this state and the corresponding risk of wildfire to

the residents, homes, businesses, and ecology of this state.

(c) In conducting the study, the service and university

shall:

(1) establish wildfire risk zones based on fuel

loading and the risk of wildfire to the residents, homes,

businesses, and ecology of this state within geographic areas

defined by the service; and

(2) solicit and consider information from:

(A) the Department of Public Safety;

(B) the Department of Agriculture, including the

Prescribed Burning Board;

(C) the Texas Division of Emergency Management;

(D) the Parks and Wildlife Department;

(E) the Texas Commission on Environmental

Quality;

(F) the State Soil and Water Conservation Board;

(G) the comptroller of public accounts; and

(H) other natural resource representatives as

necessary.

(d) The study must:

(1) for each wildfire risk zone established under

Subsection (c)(1) of this section, consider:

(A) the risk that fuel loading poses;

(B) the projected loss of life, property, and

natural resources should a wildfire occur in the zone;

(C) the financial impact of costs associated

with:

(i) reconstruction in the zone after a

wildfire;

(ii) potential loss of production in the

natural resource and agricultural industries in the zone after a

wildfire; and

(iii) fuel loading mitigation and asset

hardening in the zone; and

(D) whether the money invested in fuel loading

mitigation in the zone exceeds or is less than the value of property

protected by the investment and the amount of the excess or

shortage;

(2) assess the overall economic benefits to this state

of:

(A) prescribed burning;

(B) fuel loading control for wildfire

prevention; and

(C) public investment in fuel loading reduction

projects; and

(3) recommend changes to existing law to ensure that

public and private natural resource managers have the authority and

ability to appropriately mitigate fuel loading risks in each

established risk zone.

(e) Not later than December 1, 2026, the service and

university shall submit to the governor, the lieutenant governor,

the speaker of the house of representatives, and each standing

committee of the legislature with primary jurisdiction over the

service or university or another state agency from which

information is solicited under this section a written report that

includes a summary of the study and any legislative recommendations

based on the study.

(f) This section expires May 1, 2027.

SECTION 2. Subchapter B, Chapter 88, Education Code, is

amended by adding Section 88.1255 to read as follows:

Sec. 88.1255. STATEWIDE DATABASE OF FIREFIGHTING

EQUIPMENT. (a) In this section, "fire department" means:

(1) a volunteer fire department; or

(2) a department of a municipality, county, or special

district or authority that provides firefighting services.

(b) The Texas A&M Forest Service shall create and maintain a

comprehensive database that shows in real time the statewide

inventory of firefighting equipment available for use in responding

to wildfires.

(c) The database must:

(1) include a description of the type of firefighting

equipment each fire department in this state has available for use

in responding to wildfires;

(2) include contact information for the fire

department with the equipment;

(3) be searchable by location and equipment type; and

(4) be accessible by all fire departments in this

state and allow each fire department to update the database

information regarding the fire department's available equipment.

(d) The Texas A&M Forest Service shall:

(1) establish and maintain an electronic system to at

least annually notify a fire department that provides the

department's firefighting equipment information to the database of

the requirement to update the information in the database; and

(2) assist a fire department that provides the

department's firefighting equipment information to the database in

updating the database annually or as soon as practicable after any

change in equipment availability.

SECTION 3. Section 614.102, Government Code, is amended by

adding Subsection (i) to read as follows:

(i) At least 10 percent of appropriations for a state fiscal

year from the fund for the purpose of providing assistance to

volunteer fire departments under the program is allocated for

volunteer fire departments located in areas of this state the

service determines are at high risk for large wildfires. If the

amount of assistance requested under this subsection in a state

fiscal year is less than the amount allocated under this

subsection, the remainder may be used for other types of assistance

requests.

SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.

______________________________
______________________________

President of the Senate
Speaker of the House

I hereby certify that S.B. No. 34 passed the Senate on

April 15, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0; and that

the Senate concurred in House amendment on May 28, 2025, by the

following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.

______________________________

Secretary of the Senate

I hereby certify that S.B. No. 34 passed the House, with

amendment, on May 21, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 140,

Nays 0, two present not voting.

______________________________

Chief Clerk of the House

Approved:

______________________________

Date

______________________________

Governor