HBA-CCH, JLV H.B. 1080 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1080 By: McReynolds Civil Practices 3/19/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Wildfires are a dangerous and costly threat throughout Texas. Texas landowners use prescribed burning as an efficient land management tool to reduce vegetative fuels that can cause wildfires. The 76th legislature established a board to certify burn managers to instruct people to properly utilize prescribed burning. Current law requires a certified burn manager to purchase liability insurance of at least $1 million dollar per occurrence. House Bill 1080 requires a certified burn manager to also have a minimum aggregate limit of at least $2 million dollars for a liability insurance policy. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS House Bill 1080 amends the Natural Resources Code to limit the liability of an owner, lessee, or occupant of agricultural land for damages arising from a certified prescribed burn on that land unless the certified burn manager has liability insurance coverage with a policy period minimum aggregate limit of at least $2 million. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.