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Governor Kevin Stitt recently signed into law a bill removing the requirement that directors of county fire departments own property in their district.

Representative David Smith, a Republican from Arpelar, the author of House Bill 3079, says the measure was a constituent request.

"Rural areas really need people to serve on their local fire department boards," says Smith. "This just strikes the requirement that you have to own property and makes it so that if you live in a community you can serve on the board."

Smith says he heard from constituents who've owned land for 60 years but their children are the current residents. The way the statute was worded, the children couldn't serve on the rural fire department board of directors. The language in his bill amends that.

Sen. David Bullard is the principal Senate author of the bill, which becomes effective July 1.