Texas House Bill HB 22

Texas 2025 - 89th 2nd C.S.

• Filed: 8/15/25
• Filed: 8/22/25
• Out of House Committee: 8/18/25
• Voted on by House: 8/21/25

Caption

Relating to the authority of the comptroller to provide funding for the deployment and operation of certain emergency communication equipment.

Summary

HB 22 expands the uses of a state fund administered by the comptroller and the broadband development office to include emergency communications-related projects. In addition to existing broadband and 9-1-1 purposes, the bill expressly allows funding for early warning systems that notify the public about natural disasters and other emergencies, as well as interoperable emergency communication equipment and infrastructure. It also authorizes the broadband development office to award contracts, grants, low-interest loans, and other financial incentives for those emergency communication purposes. The bill also makes conforming changes to existing broadband grant rules. It clarifies that the office may not favor a particular broadband technology, may not fund certain last-mile projects when a commercial provider has already applied for the same location, and may not consider state universal service fund distributions when making awards, subject to existing exceptions. HB 22 further provides that awards under the new emergency communication program do not affect a telecommunications provider’s eligibility for support from the state universal service fund. The act takes effect on the 91st day after the legislative session ends.

Impact

HB 22 amends Section 403.653 of the Government Code and adds new Section 490I.01063 to Chapter 490I, expanding the legal authority for use of state broadband-related funds. It broadens eligible expenditures beyond broadband deployment to include emergency alerting systems and interoperable communications infrastructure, and it gives the broadband development office explicit grant and loan authority for those projects. The bill also preserves existing universal service fund eligibility and leaves the broader broadband award restrictions in place, while tying the new program to coordination with the governor’s office and the Texas Division of Emergency Management.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have strong overall support. It passed the House with overwhelming margins on second and third reading, with only one dissenting vote each time. The absence of committee transcript discussion suggests there was little recorded public controversy in the available materials, and the bill’s referral to the Select Committee on Disaster Preparedness & Flooding indicates it was treated as part of the state’s emergency preparedness and resilience policy agenda.

Contention

The main policy questions raised by the text are about how state broadband and emergency-communications funds should be allocated, and whether the new program could overlap with existing broadband deployment and universal service support. The bill addresses those concerns by preserving universal service fund eligibility and by keeping existing restrictions on broadband awards, including limits on favoring technologies and on funding locations already covered by federal commitments or commercial applicants. Any disagreement would likely center on the scope of state funding authority, the role of the broadband development office versus emergency management agencies, and whether emergency communications should be financed through broadband-related funds at all.