HB 5424: volunteer firefighter pay gets a hard yearly cap

Caption

relating to volunteer firefighter compensation limits.

Summary

Replaces the rule about not paying them like full-time staff.

The bill replaces the old rule, which barred fire departments from paying volunteer firefighters so much that they would count as fully paid personnel, with a hard yearly cap. A fire department may not pay, reimburse or give benefits to a volunteer or auxiliary firefighter worth more than 20 percent of the highest total pay a local government in the same county gives full-time fire personnel, or in an adjacent county if its own county has no paid department. Fire departments and their volunteers get a clear dollar ceiling starting September 1, 2026.

Labels

Labels: QUICK READ: 124 WORDS. The bill as filed runs 124 words, counting the existing law it amends and the text it strikes. The median 89R bill as filed runs 441 words (derived, 8,702 graded bills, snapshot Oct 19, 2026).

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB5424 · 2025-03-14

SOLD BY

Rep. Greg BonnenRHouse 24

Rep. Terri Leo WilsonRHouse 23

ITEM

relating to volunteer firefighter compensation limits.

WHAT IT DOES

Replaces the rule about not paying them like full-time staff.

The bill replaces the old rule, which barred fire departments from paying volunteer firefighters so much that they would count as fully paid personnel, with a hard yearly cap. A fire department may not pay, reimburse or give benefits to a volunteer or auxiliary firefighter worth more than 20 percent of the highest total pay a local government in the same county gives full-time fire personnel, or in an adjacent county if its own county has no paid department. Fire departments and their volunteers get a clear dollar ceiling starting September 1, 2026.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version E · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version E · May 14, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

HISTORY

Mar 14, 2025Filed
Apr 7, 2025Read first time
Apr 7, 2025Referred to Intergovernmental Affairs
Apr 22, 2025Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
Apr 22, 2025Considered in public hearing
Apr 22, 2025Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
Apr 22, 2025Left pending in committee
Apr 28, 2025Considered in formal meeting
Apr 28, 2025Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
May 1, 2025Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
May 2, 2025Committee report distributed
May 2, 2025Committee report sent to Calendars
May 6, 2025Considered in Calendars
May 8, 2025Placed on General State Calendar
May 9, 2025Read 2nd time
May 9, 2025Passed to engrossment
May 9, 2025Record vote RV#1949
May 9, 2025Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
May 10, 2025Read 3rd time
May 10, 2025Amended 1-Bonnen
May 10, 2025Record vote RV#2032
May 10, 2025Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
May 10, 2025Passed as amended
May 10, 2025Record vote RV#2033
May 10, 2025Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
May 10, 2025Reported engrossed
May 12, 2025Received from the House
May 12, 2025Read first time
May 12, 2025Referred to Local Government
May 15, 2025Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
May 15, 2025Considered in public hearing
May 15, 2025Vote taken in committee
May 16, 2025Reported favorably w/o amendments
May 16, 2025Committee report printed and distributed
May 20, 2025Co-sponsor authorized
May 20, 2025Placed on intent calendar
May 20, 2025Rules suspended-Regular order of business
May 20, 2025Read 2nd time & passed to 3rd reading
May 20, 2025Vote recorded in Journal
May 20, 2025Three day rule suspended
May 20, 2025Record vote
May 20, 2025Read 3rd time
May 20, 2025Passed
May 20, 2025Record vote
May 21, 2025Senate passage reported
May 21, 2025Reported enrolled
May 21, 2025Signed in the House
May 22, 2025Signed in the Senate
May 22, 2025Sent to the Governor
Jun 20, 2025Signed by the Governor
Jun 20, 2025Effective on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . September 1, 2026

FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

SIGNED FOR BY

House · 130 yea · 0 nay

Senate · 31 yea · 0 nay

Sources

House: Final passage · May 10, 2025. Journal. Published stock for this vote. Snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate: Final passage · May 20, 2025. Journal. Published stock for this vote. Snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

All floor motions and other positions below.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Greg Bonnen

Donors

Donors report through Friends of Dr. Greg Bonnen.

Not tied to this bill.

Sources

The author's campaign account only. Own money and internal transfers are separate on the member page.

Derived itemized flow · Jul 1, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Money

Missing data does not establish zero giving. Display amounts are rounded.

Votes6

Senate May 20, 2025

Yea: 31
Nay: 0
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: Not printed
Excused: Not printed

Names

Senate journal

Names were not printed. No individual positions are inferred.

Sources

Senator Middleton moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that HB 5424 be placed on its third reading and final passage. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

Yea: 31 (published)
Nay: 0 (published)
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: Not printed
Excused: Not printed

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate May 20, 2025

Yea: 31
Nay: 0
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: Not printed
Excused: Not printed

Names

Senate journal

Names were not printed. No individual positions are inferred.

Sources

Senator Middleton moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that HB 5424 be placed on its third reading and final passage. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

Yea: 31 (published)
Nay: 0 (published)
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: Not printed
Excused: Not printed

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate May 20, 2025

Yea: Not printed
Nay: Not printed
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: Not printed
Excused: Not printed

Names

Senate journal

Names were not printed. No individual positions are inferred.

Voice vote. No numeric tally or individual yeas are inferred.

Sources

The bill was read second time and was passed to third reading by a viva voce vote.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

Yea: Not printed
Nay: Not printed
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: Not printed
Excused: Not printed

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

House May 10, 2025

Yea: 130
Nay: 0
Present, not voting: 2
Absent: 2
Excused: 16

Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

House journal

Sources

Record 2033

HB 5424, as amended, was passed by (Record 2033): 130 Yeas, 0 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

Yea: 130 (published)
Nay: 0 (published)
Present, not voting: 2 (published)
Absent: 2 (derived from named list)
Excused: 16 (derived from named list)

House journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

House May 10, 2025

Yea: 131
Nay: 0
Present, not voting: 2
Absent: 1
Excused: 16

Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

House journal

Sources

Record 2032

Amendment No. 1 was adopted by (Record 2032): 131 Yeas, 0 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

Yea: 131 (published)
Nay: 0 (published)
Present, not voting: 2 (published)
Absent: 1 (derived from named list)
Excused: 16 (derived from named list)

House journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

House May 9, 2025

Yea: 130
Nay: 3
Present, not voting: 2
Absent: 8
Excused: 7

Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

House journal

Sources

Record 1949

HB 5424 was passed to engrossment by (Record 1949): 130 Yeas, 3 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

Yea: 130 (published)
Nay: 3 (published)
Present, not voting: 2 (published)
Absent: 8 (derived from named list)
Excused: 7 (derived from named list)

House journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Witnesses5

For: 5
Against: 0
On: 0

Names

For

League City Fire Department1 registration
Self1 registration
Self; League City Volunteer Fire Department1 registration
Texas Fire Chiefs Association1 registration
Texas State Association of Fire and Emergency Districts1 registration

Sources

5 parsed registrations across the loaded witness lists.

Derived stock of witness registrations. Repeated appearances count separately. Organizations and self-representation appear as printed.

House witness list. Source snapshot 2026-10-20, Central time.

Senate witness list. Source snapshot 2026-10-20, Central time.

Fiscal

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version E · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version E · May 14, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

How this was graded

Analysis of text version E by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 22, 2026, against the published rubric.

Sources

Texas House · Filed Mar 14, 2025

06/20/2025 E Effective on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · House Committee Report · Engrossed · Senate Committee Report · Enrolled

Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:20 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

Companion

SB 2645 by Middleton (identical)

Subjects

Fire Fighters & Police--Volunteer

Salaries & Expenses

Text

The text as introduced · 124 words

By: Bonnen
H.B. No. 5424

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to volunteer firefighter compensation limits.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 419.0322(c), Government Code, is amended

to read as follows:

(c) A fire department may not , in a calendar year,

compensate, reimburse, or provide benefits exceeding 20 percent of

the total compensation paid to full-time fire protection personnel

in the adjacent area to any individual designated as a volunteer or

auxiliary firefighter [ to a person the department has designated as

a volunteer or other auxiliary fire fighter to the extent that the

person would be considered fully paid fire protection personnel ].

SECTION 2. This Act is effective September 1, 2026.

Verdict: No flags

The receipt

SOLD BY

ITEM

WHAT IT DOES

CHARGES

TOTAL

HISTORY

SIGNED FOR BY

Donors

Senate May 20, 2025

Senate May 20, 2025

Senate May 20, 2025

House May 10, 2025

House May 10, 2025

House May 9, 2025

For

Companion