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Legislative
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 89th, 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
Message from TSAFF President John Riddle
John Riddle
TSAFF President
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 89th, 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.
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Recent Sessions
A highlight of the session would be HB 2468, the Andy Allison – Matt Dawson Act. This bill ensures you and your family are taken care of if you are injured on duty to the point of unemployability. We also passed HB 471, that extended very important civil service benefits to all firefighters.
HB 2468 – Burrows / Perry – This bill ensures catastrophically injured firefighters are able to receive lifetime income benefits if they are rendered unemployable.
https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/billtext/pdf/HB02468F.pdf#navpanes=0
HB 471 – Patterson / Schwertner – This bill would prevent an employer from terminating a firefighter on leave for a workplace injury in the first year. It would also allow a firefighter to use leave and have other firefighters volunteer to work for them after that year expires. This bill applies to all professional firefighters that work for a political subdivision (city, township, ESD, etc.)
https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/billtext/pdf/HB00471F.pdf#navpanes=0
HB 5344 – Bell / Creighton – This bill applies to The Woodlands Township and gives those firefighters the ability to purchase health insurance at cost from their employer upon retirement. This bill ensured that all firefighters employed by any governmental entity, not just cities and ESDs, are able to purchase health insurance.
https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/billtext/pdf/HB05344F.pdf#navpanes=0
SB 736 – Whitmire / Perez – This bill only applies to Houston and requires binding arbitration in the event of an impasse in Chapter 174 collective bargaining negotiations.
https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/billtext/pdf/SB00736F.pdf#navpanes=0
HB 898 – Stucky / Parker – This bill increases penalties for those that cause accidents when they don’t slow down or move over for emergency vehicles.
https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/billtext/pdf/HB00898F.pdf#navpanes=0
SB 1413 – Johnson / Frazier – This bill allows firefighters to remove vehicles from the roadway without liability for damages.
https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/billtext/pdf/SB01413F.pdf#navpanes=0
HB 4227 – Goldman / Hancock – This bill would prevent the repeal of Civil Service for any city over 950,000 people.
https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/billtext/pdf/HB04227F.pdf#navpanes=0
HB 2464 – Price / Hughes – This bill allows a 2-year period for cities with TMRS retirement plans to begin cost of living adjustments for retirees without penalties. This expires in 2026.
https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/billtext/pdf/HB02464F.pdf#navpanes=0
Recent Sessions
Legislative Sessions
Latest Issues Book
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