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Committee backs bill to return setup inspections of amusement rides to state fire marshal
Summary
House Bill 937 would move setup inspections for amusement rides into the State Fire Marshal's Office, train 75–80 inspectors to national standards, remove setup fees to avoid burdening nonprofits, and lower proposed insurance limits; the committee reported the bill favorably with amendments.
A bill to centralize safety oversight of amusement rides and festivals in the State Fire Marshal's Office advanced out of the House Commerce Committee on April 7.
Representative Lacombe told the committee HB 937 was spurred by a 2025 festival accident in his district that injured teenagers and said the bill would return setup inspection authority to the state. "This bill actually is an agency bill for the fire marshal's office," Lacombe said, adding it extends beyond theme parks to fairs and festivals.
State Fire Marshal Bridal Adams described a plan to train "75 to 80 of our inspectors to be NARSO certified," and said the office would absorb proposed setup fees so the cost would not be passed to nonprofit festival organizers. Adams also said the bill's amendment would lower proposed insurance limits from $2,000,000 to $1,000,000 and remove a per-ride setup fee.
Members pressed the sponsors on why inflatables and bounce houses were excluded (Adams said there is no recognized certification standard yet), whether background checks of ride workers would be required (Adams said that is not in scope), and how the office would handle quick turnaround inspections at multi-day events. Representative Jordan said he was concerned about transient operators and urged further work on worker oversight.
Representative Saint Blanc moved to report HB 937 as amended; the chair announced the bill was reported favorably.
