F‍irefighter Matt Sapp of Frisco Firefighters testified in the Texas Senate in support of the SB 1932 / HB 331, which would strengthen insurance protections for firefighters that suffer line-of-duty heart attacks, strokes and cancer.

Good news from Austin: HB 198, which would mandate occupational cancer screenings for Texas firefighters in communities where they are not already provided, passed the House today, 148-1. Thanks for your leadership, Rep. Ben Bumgarner and Rep. Armando Walle.

Good news: HB 331, which strengthens firefighter protections for line-of-duty heart attacks, strokes, and cancer, passed the Texas Senate, 31-0, today, and is headed to the Governor 's desk. Thanks to Rep. Jared Patterson and Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa for their leadership.

Good news from Austin: HB 198 (The Wade Cannon Act), a bill that calls for occupational cancer testing for Texas firefighters is headed to the Governor's desk. This bill would ensure preventative, cost-effective early screening.

HB 1639, which would authorize a statewide study on the increased incidence of cancer in female firefighters, has passed in the Senate, 29-2, and is headed for the Governor's desk. Thanks for your leadership, Sen. Carol Alvarado, Rep. Jared Patterson and Rep. Nicole Collier.

HB 2513, the military-leave bill that would prevent veteran firefighters from being forced to use vacation and sick leave to meet their ongoing military commitments, is headed for the Governor's desk. Thanks for your leadership, Sen. Charles Perry and Rep. Carl Tepper.

Good news from Austin: HB 2713, which defends the working rights of Texas fire and police personnel, passed in the Senate, 31-0, and is headed for the Governor's desk. Thanks for your leadership, Senator Kelly Hancock and Representative Drew Darby.

Texas firefighters will soon have more insight into the causes and possible mitigation of occupational cancers and other diseases with the creation of a dedicated $5 million research program at the UT Health Science Center at Houston. Please see attached news release.

UTHealth Houston: "Researchers with UTHealth Houston School of Public Health awarded $5 million to study cancer risk among firefighters in Texas." uthouston.edu/news/story/res…

TSAFF Members: Assistance is available for affiliate firefighters adversely affected by the Texas flooding. Please keep in your thoughts and prayers the families affected by this disaster and the TSAFF members deployed to the area as part of local, state and federal responses.

TSAFF is alerting Texas legislators of the unintended consequences of SB 10, the pending property tax reform bill. SB 10, as proposed, does not provide protections for public safety funding, putting local fire and police departments at risk.

Texas firefighters and friends… Please call and email your legislators to ensure that public safety is protected in SB 10. Our August 19 letter to Texas Rep. Morgan Meyer, the House Ways and Means chair, is attached. To find your legislator, please go to: wrm.capitol.texas.gov/home

Call to action: Please contact your state representative and senator to ensure public safety funding is protected in SB 10, the property tax reform bill. To find your legislator, please go to: wrm.capitol.texas.gov/home

SB 10 is still alive! Please contact your legislators and urge them to support a version of SB 10 with public safety funding protections. For background, our letter to the House Ways and Means chair, is attached. To find your legislator, please go to: wrm.capitol.texas.gov/home

Thanks to everyone that got involved in SB 10 during the Texas legislature's special session to ensure public safety funding is protected in Texas property tax reforms. We expect to have many conversations about the issue at the state capitol in the near future.