A Message from the TSAFF President John Riddle

Since 2017, TSAFF members have continued to invest in our political program – on the ground in their communities and at the state capitol. Political action and our legislative program are vital in our support of Texas professional firefighters.

Working with elected officials – more than 100 of which we have helped elect – and their staffs, we have solid momentum at the state capitol. During the past four legislative sessions, Texas firefighters have helped pass 17 pieces of fire service-related legislation. (For comparison, during the previous seven sessions, we passed only two bills.)

In 2019, we initiated comprehensive reform of the workers compensation system, and the passage of SB 2551 led the way. This had been a TSAFF goal for decades. Equally important have been our efforts to defeat dozens of anti-public safety proposals. Notably, we are the labor organization that convinced legislators to kill anti-dues deduction legislation in recent sessions, helping firefighters, but also police officers, teachers and other public servants.

I’m proud of our legislative team, led by Government Affairs Director Glenn Deshields and Legislative Director Chase Fruge, and I’m proud of our members and District Legislative Agents (DLAs) who take time during legislative session and beyond to represent us.

Through our political training academy and service training programs, we also are providing essential political and legislative training to Texas firefighter leaders so they can better advocate for and represent all of us.

We always have more work to do, of course, but we’re committed to maintaining a strong voice on public safety issues in Austin. The next regular legislative session, the 89^th, begins on January 14, 2025.

For more information, please take a look at the summaries below which were provided to our members after recent sessions.

John Riddle

TSAFF President