H.B. No. 2 aims to enhance disaster preparedness, response, and recovery in Texas by establishing new training requirements for justices of the peace and introducing a licensing system for emergency managers. The bill mandates that the Department of State Health Services, in collaboration with the Texas Division of Emergency Management, develop a training program for justices of the peace in counties without a medical examiner, covering essential topics such as autopsy decision-making protocols and mass fatality management. Justices must complete this training within one year of their election to avoid being deemed incompetent. Additionally, the bill introduces a licensing framework for emergency managers, which includes various levels of licenses and outlines requirements for obtaining and maintaining these licenses, with oversight from the Texas Commission on Fire Protection.

The legislation also establishes a statewide volunteer management system to register and manage individuals volunteering for disaster response operations, requiring the division to maintain an online database for coordinating volunteer assignments. It creates a mass fatality operations rapid response team to manage mass fatality events and develop a centralized fatality tracking system. The bill includes provisions for criminal history checks for emergency manager applicants and volunteers, ensuring that individuals with certain criminal backgrounds are disqualified from these positions. Overall, H.B. No. 2 seeks to improve Texas's capacity to manage emergencies through better-trained personnel and structured systems for volunteer management and disaster response.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Government Code 411.1236, Government Code 418.005 (Government Code 411, Government Code 418)
House Committee Report: Government Code 411.1236, Government Code 418.005 (Government Code 411, Government Code 418)