HB 149

Testimony in the House Select Committee on Disaster Preparedness & Flooding has highlighted the lack of interoperability among public safety radio communication systems used across jurisdictions in Texas. The bill author has informed the committee that radio interoperability issues can hamper the ability of first responders to communicate with each other during disasters. The bill author has also informed the committee that local governments currently have the authority to acquire the radio equipment of their choosing without any legal mechanism authorizing the governor to prevent an acquisition that would significantly impair radio interoperability. H.B. 149 seeks to address this issue by authorizing the governor's office to establish standards for determining whether a potential purchase of a radio system by a political subdivision would materially impair