Every month during the 86th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature Dr. Robert Mace and Dr. Todd Votteler provide an update on water-related legislation. The key water committees are Water and Rural Affairs in the Senate (SWRA), and Natural Resources in the House (HNR). Thus far, legislation related to flooding impacts from Hurricane Harvey and statewide flood planning has dominated the water-related efforts of SWRA and HNR.
The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 7 and Senate Bill 8 (see below) on March 20. These bills transfer money from the state’s rainy day fund to pay for Hurricane Harvey recovery and to plan and prepare for future flood events. On the House side, House Bill 13 passed the chamber on April 11 unanimously with one member present and not voting. The House has also passed joint resolutions related to constitutional amendments to create a flood infrastructure fund.
By mid-April, the end of every regular legislative session begins to press upon the legislative process. This means that legislation that has not been passed out of either the Senate or the House faces a serious time crunch. Can a bill still make it through the process in the other chamber and reach the Governor’s desk before the final gavel on May 27? The decreasing odds of passage are reflected in the list of bills you see below as we are only including those bills that have been passed by either the Senate or House.
Below is a list of water-related bills that have been passed by either the House or Senate, and which are pending in the opposite chamber. Click on the bill to find the status and actions taken by the Legislature. Click here to find information about upcoming hearings.
Note: There is no guarantee of accuracy on this sheet. Confirm status of any bill of interest at Texas Legislature Online.
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