Gov. Greg Abbott said addressing the floods is his top priority for a special legislative session that began Monday. Abbott wants the House and Senate to craft legislation that provides relief to flood victims, improves early warning systems, bulks up emergency communications and streamlines government regulations related to disaster preparation and recovery.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced three bills Tuesday that will top the Senate’s agenda related to flooding and largely mirror what Abbott has requested. Those bills had yet to be filed Tuesday, so the fine details weren’t yet available.
Here’s a run-down of bills filed so far that address flooding, disasters and emergency management.
Emergency warning systems
Sen Sarah Eckhardt, D-Austin, filed Senate Bill 25. The bill would create an option for people updating or renewing a government ID or driver’s license to opt in to a local emergency warning system operated by their local government.Abbott vetoed an identical bill that was filed in 2019, calling it a well-intentioned proposal, but stating that the data collection should be left up to cities and counties, as opposed to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Austin American-Statesman reported.
Senate Bill 28 from Laredo Democratic Sen. Judith Zaffirini would require city and county websites to post all public health and safety alerts to their websites, including warnings from the National Weather Service and the Texas Division of Emergency Management.
Disaster preparedness and response
House Bill 136 from Rep. Steve Toth, R-Conroe, would create a flood response grant program within the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) that would use state funds to pay for the construction of emergency communication equipment and to train personnel how to use and maintain it.Rep. Barbara Gervin-Hawkins, D-San Antonio, proposed creating a statewide real-time emergency communications system overseen by the Texas Division of Emergency Management. It would connect more than a dozen state agencies with cities and counties during a disaster response.
Rep. Don McLaughlin, R-Uvalde, has proposed House Bill 108. It would require the Texas Division of Emergency Management to oversee the creation of a “flooding disaster guide” that would outline how communities and volunteers should respond to floods.
House Bill 165 from Rep. Penny Morales Shaw, D-Houston, would require state emergency personnel to update local disaster response guides to more specifically address the needs of low-income families, the unhoused and people with disabilities, among other provisions.
Morales Shaw also filed House Bill 166, which would call for people with disabilities to provide input on emergency management plans.
Youth camp safety
Lewisville Republican Rep. Mitch Little filed House Bill 152. It would require facilities like Camp Mystic, which lost 27 children and counselors in the July 4 floods, to have satellite phones and radio communications on site.While likely aimed at camps, the bill would apply to any facility within a 100-year floodplain providing services to a vulnerable population, such as children, the elderly and people with disabilities. A 100-year floodplain is generally defined as an area that has at least a 1% chance of flooding each year.
Senate Bill 35, from Zaffirini, would require youth camps to have equipment for communication between cabins. Camps would also need to keep enough life jackets in each cabin to accommodate its maximum capacity, as well as a hammer suitable for breaking a window.
Zaffirini also proposed requiring youth camps to install floodlights in another measure, Senate Bill 41.
McLaughlin proposed in House Bill 124 that state health officials establish minimum building standards for any camp facilities within 5 feet of a 100-year floodplain.
House Bill 144, from Rep. Keresa Richardson, R- McKinney, would require camps to provide radio frequency identification tags (RFID tags) to all campers that are capable of tracking a camper in the event of a disaster or in the case of a camper going missing.
Disaster relief and recovery
House Bill 109 from Rep. Angie Chen Button, R- Garland, would allow small businesses to apply for state disaster relief loans that are currently only eligible for the state’s smallest “micro-businesses” with fewer than 20 employees. Button’s bill would make certain companies with up to 100 employees eligible for the loans. Sen. Carol Alvarado, D- Houston, filed an identical bill in the Senate.Memorials for flood victims
House Bill 121 from Gervin-Hawkins would require the Texas Historical Commission to work with local communities to create flood victim memorials in each House district affected by the July 4 floods.©2025 The Dallas Morning News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
