House Representative
Turner, John
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 05/13/2019
Rep. John Turner Passes Two Bills Helping Texas's First Responders
HB 3635 and HB 2143 Demonstrate Texas's Support for Firefighters, Police, and Emergency Personnel
(AUSTIN, TX) – Last week, the Texas House of Representatives passed House Bill 3635 and House Bill 2143 by Rep. John Turner of Dallas. HB 3635 mandates that the amount of the primary state benefit paid to the surviving spouse or family members of a first responder who is killed in the line of duty adjusts annually with inflation, ensuring that the value of the payment does not decline over time. HB 2143 clarifies that first responders who experience PTSD as a result of exposure to multiple traumatic events (rather than just a single traumatic event) are entitled to workers compensation.
Following passage of the bills, Representative Turner released the following statement:
“Both of these bills will help make certain that Texas stands behind our first responders who make it their careers to protect the rest of us. I am grateful to my colleagues in the House for passing these bills with overwhelming bipartisan support, and I look forward to the Senate doing the same.”
Contact:
Luis Soberon