Bill seeks to bolster firefighting efforts amid a worsening climate

AUSTIN (KXAN) – The Texas Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs heard testimony Monday on a bill that would bolster firefighting efforts and better prepare the state for future blazes. 

State Sen. Kevin Sparks, R-Midland, filed Senate Bill 34 to address issues discovered in an investigation conducted in the months following the Smokehouse Creek Fire, the most destructive fire in the state’s history. In part, investigators found that rural volunteer fire departments were underfunded.