Texas House Bill HB 3915

Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

• Filed: 3/6/25
• Out of House Committee: 4/23/25

Caption

Relating to the projects eligible for financial assistance from the flood infrastructure fund.

Summary

HB 3915 expands the definition of a “flood project” for purposes of the Texas Flood Infrastructure Fund. Under current law, eligible projects include drainage, flood mitigation, and flood control work such as planning and design, regulatory approvals, structural flood infrastructure, and nonstructural projects. The bill adds two notable categories: nonstructural projects that use nature-based features to reduce flood risk, and multi-purpose flood mitigation and drainage projects that also capture, treat, and distribute water for use as an additional water supply. In practical terms, the bill would allow more types of local and regional water-management projects to qualify for financial assistance from the flood infrastructure fund. It broadens state support beyond traditional flood-control infrastructure to include projects that combine flood mitigation with water reuse, stormwater capture, agricultural runoff capture, and treated wastewater effluent use. The bill takes effect September 1, 2025.

Impact

The bill amends Section 15.531 of the Water Code, which defines “flood project” for the flood infrastructure fund. By expanding that definition, it changes which projects may receive state financial assistance under the fund and may increase eligibility for municipalities, drainage districts, river authorities, and other local entities pursuing flood mitigation and water-supply projects. It also explicitly recognizes nature-based flood solutions and multi-purpose infrastructure as eligible project types.

Sentiment

The available record suggests generally favorable treatment of the bill, or at least no recorded opposition in the provided materials. There are no committee transcript excerpts or vote tallies showing debate, and the bill was laid on the table subject to call in the House, indicating it remained under consideration rather than being decisively advanced or rejected at that point. The bill’s framing as a flood-resilience and water-supply measure suggests it likely appealed to members interested in infrastructure, drought resilience, and regional water management.

Contention

The main potential point of contention is the expansion of flood infrastructure funding to projects that also serve water-supply purposes. Supporters may view this as a practical way to maximize public investment by combining flood control with water reuse and supply augmentation, while critics could argue it stretches the flood fund beyond its core purpose or could divert limited resources away from traditional flood-mitigation needs. Another possible issue is whether nature-based and multi-purpose projects should receive the same priority as conventional structural flood-control projects, though no direct objections are included in the provided record.