HBA-CMT C.S.H.B. 309 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 309 By: Ellis, Dan County Affairs 2/23/2001 Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, the Local Government Code does not authorize a county with a population of less than 250,000 or a county adjacent to a county with a population of less than 250,000 to enact or adopt a fire code. C.S.H.B. 309 authorizes all county commissioners courts to adopt a fire code and rules necessary to administer and enforce the fire codes, regardless of the size of the county, and prohibits a county from regulating the sale of fireworks. 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 C.S.H.B. 309 amends the Local Government Code to remove the population requirements pertaining to the authorization of a commissioners court of a county to adopt a fire code and rules to enforce and administer the fire code. The bill prohibits a county from regulating the sale of fireworks within the fire code. EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2001. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE The substitute differs from the original bill by prohibiting a county from regulating the sale of fireworks within the fire code.