Posted 10:21 pm Thursday, March 07, 2013
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Simpson pushes to restore fire rescue funding
Staff Reports
Fighting fires should be a funding priority for the state, said state Rep. David Simpson, R-Longview, who filed a budget rider to restore $30 million to volunteer departments around the state.
Simpson said most of the $59 million in the Volunteer Fire Fighter Assistance Fund, which is collected from a tax on property and casualty insurers based on insurance policies, will be held by the state to certify the budget. The present budget appropriates $13.5 million to departments. Simpson wants at least $30 million for departments.
Volunteer departments were understaffed and inadequately supplied during last year’s wildfires, he said. The supplemental appropriations bill includes $161 million in reimbursements to the Texas A&M Forest Service and out-of-state contractors.
Simpson said most of the $59 million in the Volunteer Fire Fighter Assistance Fund, which is collected from a tax on property and casualty insurers based on insurance policies, will be held by the state to certify the budget. The present budget appropriates $13.5 million to departments. Simpson wants at least $30 million for departments.
Volunteer departments were understaffed and inadequately supplied during last year’s wildfires, he said. The supplemental appropriations bill includes $161 million in reimbursements to the Texas A&M Forest Service and out-of-state contractors.
Simpson said there is more than enough dedicated funding to go toward its intended purpose and it should be used rather than held back to certify the budget.
“Brave men and women from our communities spend their time and effort protecting us from wildfires and fires in our homes,” he said in a release. “This is a vital, core function of government, and we need to ensure that firemen are well trained and equipped properly.”
“Brave men and women from our communities spend their time and effort protecting us from wildfires and fires in our homes,” he said in a release. “This is a vital, core function of government, and we need to ensure that firemen are well trained and equipped properly.”
