Texas House bill by Rep. Campos establishes advisory committee on fire department suicide prevention programs

Passed bill authored by State Rep. Elizabeth Campos aims to create an advisory committee within the Texas Commission on Fire Protection to study suicide prevention and peer support programs in fire departments across the state, according to the Texas Legislature website.

In the House, 50 Democrats and 71 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while one Republican opposed it.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 10 Democrats and 20 Republicans voted in favor, while one Democrat voted against it.

Elizabeth Campos introduced the bill in the Texas House on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, ahead of the official start of the 89th regular legislative session on Jan. 14, 2025.

Campos, a Democrat, was elected to the Texas State House in 2021 to represent the state’s 119th House district, replacing previous state representative Roland Gutierrez.

According to the Texas Legislature, the bill’s official text was summarized as follows: ‘Relating to an advisory committee to study suicide prevention and peer support programs in fire departments in this state’.

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill establishes an advisory committee within the Texas Commission on Fire Protection to study the implementation of suicide prevention and peer support programs in fire departments across the state. Comprised of firefighters, fire chiefs, and licensed mental health professionals appointed by various fire associations, the committee is tasked with evaluating current programs and identifying potential licensing and confidentiality concerns. The committee is authorized to meet virtually and is supplied with administrative support from the commission. A report containing their findings and legislative recommendations is due to the governor and legislature by Sept. 1, 2026. The advisory committee is set to disband, and the act will expire on Jan. 10, 2027. The effective date of this legislation is Sept. 1, 2025.

The bill was co-authored by Rep. John Lujan (Republican – District 118), Rep. Jessica Gonzalez (Democrat – District 104), and Rep. Sheryl Cole (Democrat – District 46), along with six other authors.

The bill received its final legislative approval on Thursday, May 15, and was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday, May 28.

Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.