Sen. Charles Schwertner introduced SB 2990, a bill on Education, Fire Fighters & Police, Health, and Labor, to the Texas Senate on Friday, March 14 during the 89(R) legislative session, according to the Texas Legislature website.
More specifically, the official text was summarized by the state legislature as ’’relating to removing the requirement of provision of workers’ compensation insurance coverage for Texas Task Force 1 members and members of intrastate fire mutual aid system teams and regional incident management teams’’.
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
This bill eliminates the requirement for workers’ compensation insurance coverage for members of Texas Task Force 1 and members of intrastate fire mutual aid system and regional incident management teams. The bill amends several sections of the Labor Code to redefine “employee” and exclude these members from being classified as such for coverage purposes. It clarifies that Texas Task Force 1 and other such teams, coordinated by the Texas A&M Forest Service for disaster response, are not eligible for state workers’ compensation insurance. Additionally, several provisions related to insurance coverage for these members in the Education and Labor Codes are repealed. The changes apply to compensable injuries occurring on or after the bill’s effective date, which is Sept. 1, 2025, with previous claims remaining under the existing law.
Charles Schwertner, the chair of the Senate Committee on Business & Commerce, proposed another 76 bills during the 89(R) legislative session. He is also a member of the Senate Committee on Committee of the Whole Senate, a member of the Senate Committee on Economic Development, a member of the Senate Committee on Finance, and a member of the Senate Committee on State Affairs.
Schwertner graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a BS.
Charles Schwertner is currently serving in the Texas State Senate, representing the state’s 5th Senate district. He replaced previous state senator Steve Ogden in 2013.
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.
| Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|
| SB 2989 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to the consideration of wage replacement benefits in the nature of workers’ compensation |
| SB 2967 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to funding mechanisms to support the siting, development, construction, and deployment of advanced nuclear and innovative energy technologies in this state |
| SB 2966 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to establishing a framework to govern the use of artificial intelligence systems in critical decision-making by private companies and ensure consumer protections; authorizing a civil penalty |
| SB 2872 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to connection reservation contracts |
| SB 2836 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to the location where certain sales are consummated for the purpose of municipal sales and use taxes |
| SB 30 | 03/13/2025 | Relating to recovery of damages in civil actions |
| SB 2584 | 03/13/2025 | Relating to the regulation of service contracts and service contract providers and administrators |
| SB 2512 | 03/13/2025 | Relating to creating the Texas Interoperability Council and a grant program administered by the council |
| SB 2486 | 03/13/2025 | Relating to the authority of certain municipalities to receive and pledge for the payment of obligations certain additional tax revenue derived from a hotel and convention center project |
| SB 2411 | 03/12/2025 | Relating to business organizations |
| SB 2345 | 03/12/2025 | Relating to the administration of, contributions to, and benefits under retirement systems for firefighters in certain municipalities |
| SB 2340 | 03/12/2025 | Relating to examination of the records of filing entities and foreign filing entities by the attorney general; creating a criminal offense |
| SB 2268 | 03/11/2025 | Relating to loans and grants under the Texas energy fund |
| SB 2154 | 03/10/2025 | Relating to the regulation of delivery network companies; requiring an occupational permit; authorizing a fee |
| SB 2025 | 03/06/2025 | Relating to risk mitigation planning and associated liability for providers of electric service |
| SB 8 | 03/05/2025 | Relating to agreements between sheriffs and the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement to enforce federal immigration law |
| SB 1968 | 03/05/2025 | Relating to the licensing and regulation of certain real estate professionals by the Texas Real Estate Commission |
| SB 1960 | 03/05/2025 | Relating to digital replication rights in the voice and visual likeness of individuals; providing private causes of action; authorizing a fee |
| SB 1945 | 03/05/2025 | Relating to the eligibility of certain individuals younger than 65 years of age to purchase Medicare supplement benefit plans |
| SB 1889 | 03/04/2025 | Relating to vision screenings for students in public or private school, including vision screening information reporting for public school students and the creation of a matching grant program for visual devices for certain students |
| SB 1881 | 03/04/2025 | Relating to the use of political contributions by the secretary of state to maintain a residence in Travis County |
| SB 1880 | 03/04/2025 | Relating to the creation of an additional judicial district in Williamson County |
| SB 1879 | 03/04/2025 | Relating to the transfer of certain state property from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to Walker County |
| SB 1878 | 03/04/2025 | Relating to the Polytechnic College at Sam Houston State University, including the college’s eligibility to participate in certain programs |
| SB 1877 | 03/04/2025 | Relating to the authority of the Office of Public Utility Counsel to access certain data |
| SB 1876 | 03/04/2025 | Relating to the authority of the Public Utility Commission of Texas to retain assistance for regional proceedings affecting certain electric utilities and consumers |
| SB 1826 | 03/03/2025 | Relating to career and technology education programs in public schools and the Rural Pathway Excellence Partnership (R-PEP) program, including funding for those programs under the Foundation School Program, and to the new instructional facility allotment and the permissible uses of funding under the Foundation School Program |
| SB 1825 | 03/03/2025 | Relating to fire safety standards and emergency operations plans for the operation of battery energy storage |
| SB 1824 | 03/03/2025 | Relating to the removal of battery energy storage facilities |
| SB 1810 | 03/03/2025 | Relating to annual statistical reports for fixing title insurance premium rates |
| SB 1789 | 02/28/2025 | Relating to electric service quality and reliability |
| SB 1665 | 02/27/2025 | Relating to a study by the Public Utility Commission of Texas on the feasibility of constructing certain extra high voltage transmission lines |
| SB 1664 | 02/27/2025 | Relating to public information regarding the rates of a transmission and distribution utility |
| SB 1644 | 02/25/2025 | Relating to the use of a consumer’s credit score in the underwriting or rating of certain personal lines property and casualty insurance policies |
| SB 1643 | 02/25/2025 | Relating to prior approval of certain property and casualty insurance rate increases or decreases |
| SB 1642 | 02/25/2025 | Relating to the administration of the Texas Department of Insurance, including the appointment of the state commission of insurance |
| SB 1586 | 02/24/2025 | Relating to the issuance by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality of permits for certain wastewater treatment facilities |
| SB 1560 | 02/21/2025 | Relating to the submission to the legislature of financial information of an independent organization certified for a power region |
| SB 1518 | 02/21/2025 | Relating to the authority of certain municipalities to use certain tax revenue for hotel and convention center projects |
| SB 1517 | 02/21/2025 | Relating to the authority of certain municipalities to receive certain tax revenue derived from a hotel and convention center project and to pledge certain tax revenue for the payment of obligations related to the project |
| SB 1496 | 02/20/2025 | Relating to the authority of certain municipalities to receive certain tax revenue derived from a hotel and convention center project and to pledge certain tax revenue for the payment of obligations related to the project |
| SB 1495 | 02/20/2025 | Relating to the establishment of an Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment Advisory Board |
| SB 1468 | 02/20/2025 | Relating to the authority of the board of regents of The Texas A&M University System to construct, acquire, improve, extend, and equip utility systems located on university system property |
| SB 1318 | 02/14/2025 | Relating to restrictions on covenants not to compete for physicians and certain health care practitioners |
| SB 1290 | 02/14/2025 | Relating to requiring backup generation at certain wastewater treatment facilities |
| SB 1272 | 02/13/2025 | Relating to the punishment for the criminal offense of attempted capital murder of a peace officer; increasing a criminal penalty; changing eligibility for parole and mandatory supervision |
| SB 21 | 02/12/2025 | Relating to the establishment and administration of the Texas Strategic Bitcoin Reserve for the purpose of investing in cryptocurrency and the investment authority of the comptroller of public accounts over the reserve and certain other state funds |
| SB 1252 | 02/12/2025 | Relating to the authority of a municipality to regulate the installation or inspection of a residential energy backup system |
| SB 1244 | 02/12/2025 | Relating to unclaimed personal property, including virtual currency |
| SB 1122 | 02/06/2025 | Relating to applicability of certain prescription drug insurance laws to health benefit plans and pharmacy benefit managers |
