Transcript Highlights:

• My name is Carla Guthrie, Surface Water Division Director for the Texas Water Development Board.
• My name is Carla Guthrie, Surface Water Division Director for the Texas Water Development Board.
• data, as described in Texas Water Code Section 16.026.
• Texas Water Development Board stations.
• Yes, Carly Guthrie, Texas Water Development Board.

Summary: The joint Senate and House disaster preparedness and flooding hearing opened with quorum calls, prayer, testimony time limits, and remarks from legislative leaders emphasizing decorum, respect, and the goal of learning from the July 4 flood to prevent future loss of life. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and Speaker Dustin Burrows said the special session and hearings were intended to hear directly from local officials and residents, and that the state would pursue immediate and longer-term legislation and continue working beyond the current session. The committee then heard invited testimony from Kerr County, Kerrville, Kendall County, Real County, and the Upper Guadalupe River Authority, followed by member questions. Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, Sheriff Larry Leitha, and emergency management coordinator William B. Thomas described the flood as a sudden, unprecedented event that overwhelmed local systems before many officials or residents understood the danger. They said the county received multiple National Weather Service and IPAWS alerts, but the rain fell in remote upstream areas with limited gauges, and the flood rose too quickly for normal response. They detailed the emergency response, including dispatchers handling heavy call volumes, deputies and volunteer firefighters conducting rescues, and state and federal partners assisting. County officials said 108 people died, including 37 children, and two remained missing. They called for better real-time flood detection, stronger rural emergency management resources, improved broadband and cell coverage, and more funding for swift-water rescue and warning systems. Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring and City Manager Dalton Rice said the city had floodplain rules, emergency plans, and prior preparedness efforts, but the event exposed gaps in communications and regional warning capacity. They urged the Legislature to fund a flood warning system, whether sirens, automated alerts, or a hybrid, and asked for support for predictive weather modeling, broadband expansion, a hazard mitigation fund, and disaster recovery resources. The Upper Guadalupe River Authority said it had long funded gauges and pursued flood-warning and mitigation projects, including a new software-based flood prediction system and possible retention dams, and planned to dedicate reserve funds to feasibility studies and infrastructure improvements. Kendall County Judge Shane Stolarczyk said his county’s emergency action plan and early alerts helped prevent deaths there, and he recommended easier access to alerting tools, a river-wide warning system, simpler grant applications, and regional coordination. Real County Judge Bella Rubio said rural counties face major challenges because of limited cell service, broadband, staffing, and funding, especially for camps and visitors along the Frio and Nueces rivers, and argued that reliable alert systems should be treated as a necessity, not a luxury. Members asked about the timeline of the flood, low-water crossings, communications failures, sirens, bridges, and funding, and several witnesses said the key lessons were better communications, better warning systems, and more investment in rural flood mitigation and emergency response.

Transcript Highlights:

• Division Director for the Texas Water Development Board.
• as described in Texas Water Code 16.026. resident stations began reporting in 2016.
• So this concludes the high-level overview of the Texas Mesonet Program at the Texas Water Development
• Texas has 25,000 bridges over water. More than any other state.
• No. is just a database that houses data from Texas Water Development Board, West Texas Other weather

Keywords: 997, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I want to read to you Texas Administrative Code, Section 265.15E.
• Rules and Responsibilities under Chapter 418 of the Texas Government Code, challenges that we face,
• And if you'd have told me on July 3rd, you're putting a swift water rescue team in San Angelo, Texas,
• Explain Code Red. Great question. Code Red is a trade name. Code Red is a reverse telephone system.
• Isn't that required by the Texas Administrative Code?

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill creates a new offense under Section 16.021 of the Texas Penal Code, making it a second-degree
• crime networks, which this bill smartly addresses by amending section 71.02 of the Texas Penal Code
• You're registered as Ashley Myers, executive director of the Texas Association of Water Companies, and
• I'm the executive director of the Texas Association of Water Companies.
• Under current Texas Penal Code Section 2201, assault is generally classified as a Class A misdemeanor

Bills: HB316

Keywords: Medicaid, healthcare, affordable care act, medical assistance, federal funding

Transcript Highlights:

• code, and water code.
• Members, Texas is facing a growing and long-term need for water infrastructure investment.
• According to Texas 2036, the state will need to invest approximately $150 billion in water infrastructure
• We have a proven track record of working alongside the Texas Water Development Board and the Texas Commission
• The opportunity for Texas to lead when it comes to technology and energy and water, as you've already

Transcript Highlights:

• Because Texas uses NFPA fire code standards, this mandate will most likely be adopted by all jurisdictions
• code in Chapter 49.
• And so I think you know there is already a remedy in law in the water code that TCEQ provides, and if
• So I think TCEQ already has some teeth allowed for in the water code, and I just don't think that making
• Uh, the state of Texas has almost 3000 water districts, and they also vary in size, location, and function

Transcript Highlights:

• This is nothing that the Texas Water Development Board, where they've determined what this is going to
• The water in that lake is obviously owned by the state of Texas, as is all surface water, but the land
• Now, Texas, a good portion of Texas is in a drought. The drought never left Bandera County.
• The alignment with existing law updates the health and safety code and the code of Criminal Procedure
• In Chapter 775 of the Texas Health and Safety Code, which governs emergency service districts in Texas

Transcript Highlights:

• Local Government Code.
• It has powers of road and water.
• These agreements prompted the city water utility to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in water and
• In Kamal County, Texas Water Company recently had to deny service to nine developments due to a lack
• of water.

Transcript Highlights:

• , well, with the Texas drought.
• This is not something that the Texas Water Development Board, where they've determined what this is going
• Now, the water in that lake is obviously owned by the state of Texas, as is all surface water.
• Now, Texas, a good portion of Texas is in a drought. The drought never left Bandera County.
• The current $2,000 limit was established in Chapter 775 of the Texas Health and Safety Code, which governs

Bills: HB334, HB583, HB605, HB1327, HB1646, HB2115, HB2379

Keywords: family leave, leave pool, county employee, sick leave, vacation leave, family care, pandemic, guardianship, fencing, reservoirs, local government, regulation, land use, conservation capacity, property regulation, fence regulation, reservoir safety, county authority, fencing regulations, counties

Transcript Highlights:

• Administrative Code.
• Not reported the deaths of the campers to DSHS, as required by the Texas Administrative Code.
• That the Texas Administrative Code is still not being complied with, despite them being implored to do
• It will confirm this is required by the plain text of the Texas Administrative Code, as I showed you
• And again, we can confirm this is a plain black and white requirement in the Texas Administrative Code

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 1211, fracking water use tax exemption, is a continuation of water and trying to save a finite
• resource in our fresh water supply.
• The definition includes traditional wastewater, recycled water, or produced water, as well as brine water
• The definition includes traditional wastewater, recycled water, or produced water, as well as brine water
• Government Code.

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee heard several measures, beginning with SB 1574 by Senator Zaffirini, which would codify the Texas Judicial Council’s Centers of Excellence Program for courts and judges. Testimony from judges and the Office of Court Administration emphasized that the program promotes transparency, procedural fairness, mentoring, and public trust. A committee substitute expanded eligibility to justices of the peace and municipal judges and removed a merit-pay reference to eliminate fiscal impact. After quorum was established, the committee adopted the substitute and later voted it out favorably, though it was not certified for the local and uncontested calendar. The committee also heard SB 2774 by Senator Hinojosa, which would amend the Tax Code’s retail trade definition to include industrial uniform and linen rental businesses so they qualify for the lower franchise tax rate. Supporters said the change would put rental textile businesses on equal footing with other rental industries and help Texas employers and customers. The bill was reported favorably to the full Senate. Members then considered SB 1211 by Senator Perry, which would broaden the existing fracking-related sales tax exemption for equipment used with non-fresh water sources, including recycled, produced, and brine water. The bill’s supporters argued it would conserve freshwater and reduce litigation over water definitions, while the Comptroller’s office discussed the fiscal note and production-related revenue effects. The committee also heard SB 2873 and SB 2900, both by Senator Kolkhorst and presented by Senator Nichols; SB 2873 would require electronic filers to file electronically, and SB 2900 would eliminate certain Comptroller-related advisory committees and boards. Both were later adopted in committee substitute form and reported favorably. Finally, the committee heard HJR 4, sponsored by Senator Parker, proposing a constitutional amendment to prohibit new taxes on securities transfers or financial transaction processing. Supporters said it would protect investors, especially retirees, and help position Texas as a financial center. The committee voted to report HJR 4 favorably to the full Senate. In each recorded vote after quorum was present, the measures passed with nine ayes and no nays.

Transcript Highlights:

• And also, under the Texas Local Government Code, Chapter 143, meet-and-confer agreements may modify that
• And right now we have a mesonet, West Texas mesonet. We have Water Development Board mesonet.
• It was everyone from the Texas Water Development Board and some of their experts to Rice University,
• Senate Bill 2 outlines, in procedural form, how the Texas Water Development Board must identify areas
• There is Texas Water Development Board that has their coverage area.

Summary: The Senate opened with a quorum call, invocation, and approval of the previous day’s journal, then observed a moment of silence after Senator Eckhardt referenced a mass shooting in Austin. The chamber also agreed to postpone reading and referral of bills until later in the day. Early procedural business included a motion not to print Senate Bill 3, which was adopted without objection. Later, Senator Mendez raised a parliamentary inquiry about moving flood relief bills to the top of the calendar, but the presiding officer said the order of business was up to the chair. The main floor action centered on Senate Bill 4, the congressional redistricting bill. Senator King laid out the bill, describing it as the companion to the House version, based on 2020 census data, and arguing it was legal, race-blind, more compact, and likely to elect more Republicans. Senators asked extensive questions about the process, public hearings, and the map’s effects on districts and communities. The Senate voted to suspend the regular order of business and the three-day rule, then passed SB 4 to engrossment and finally passed it, with the recorded votes showing 19 yeas and 2 nays. The Senate also took up Senate Bill 6, relating to abortion and civil liability for the manufacture and provision of abortion-inducing drugs. Senator Hughes argued the bill was needed to stop illegal abortion pills being mailed into Texas and harming women and unborn children. The Senate suspended the regular order of business and the three-day rule, passed the bill to engrossment, and then finally passed it, with the recorded votes showing 18 yeas, 10 nays, and one present not voting. A lengthy discussion followed on the committee substitute for Senate Bill 14, which would standardize law enforcement personnel and departmental files statewide. Senator King said the bill codifies a TCOLE model policy and limits public access to personnel files to substantiated misconduct, commendations, and evaluations, while keeping other records available through other legal processes. Senators Eckhardt, West, Hinojosa, and others questioned how the bill would affect transparency, meet-and-confer agreements, civilian review boards, and access to unsubstantiated complaints. An amendment by Senator Hinojosa of Dallas to narrow the bill to unfounded complaints failed, and SB 14 was then passed to engrossment on a vote of 18 yeas and 10 nays. The final major item was Senate Bill 1, the natural disaster omnibus bill responding to the July flooding. Senator Perry said the bill addresses camp and RV park safety, evacuation plans, emergency rooftop access, lines of succession for local emergency management, annual drills, volunteer management, drone restrictions over disaster areas, small-business recovery loans, and a statewide data hub for flood and weather monitoring. Senators Menendez, Eckhardt, and Kolkhorst asked about autopsies, volunteer background checks, liability, warning systems, floodplain mitigation, and coordination with FEMA and local governments. Perry said the bill focuses on preparation, response, and recovery, while broader prevention and mitigation issues may be addressed later. The transcript ends during this extended discussion, before final action on SB 1 is shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'm David Basinger, Chairman. of the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board.
• On behalf of the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board.
• I am Rex Isom, Executive Director of the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board.
• Soil and Water Conservation District the Association of Texas Soil and Water Conservation District.
• The Association of Texas Soil and Water Conservation Districts represents 216 soil and water conservation

Bills: HB294, HB405, HB519, HB294

Keywords: food production, property owners' association, home gardening, cottage food, urban agriculture, livestock, community standards, renewable energy, ethanol, biodiesel, incentives, agriculture, grants, honey production, beekeeping, food safety, local regulation, energy efficiency, tax exemption, residential properties

Transcript Highlights:

• to water infrastructure projects in Texas.
• And within the Texas Water Fund, there's a new. created new water supply for Texas Fund.
• There's 3,500 in Texas. There's 7,000 drinking water facilities in Texas.
• We work on water policy here in Texas.
• I'm with the Texas Water Association.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Current law in Texas government code requires all Texas police agencies to provide a retired police officer
• Chapter 32 of Texas Penal Code corruption has Chapter 36.
• police officers regarding what the Constitution in Chapter 9 of Texas Penal Code permits as reasonable
• OK, because you were, you were quoting the Texas Penal Code, am I correct? Yes, sir.
• OK, Texas Penal Code 2205, it, it talks about the deadly conduct charge.

Transcript Highlights:

• Texas Administrative Code Title 16, Part 4, Chapter 73, Rule 73.51C states that the design of an electrical
• Chapters 73.51C of the Texas Administrative Code.
• In addition, the Texas occupations Code 1,001.053 exempts the public project engineering requirements
• Texas loses billions of gallons of water per year as crumbling, leaky, and broken pipes allow water to
• of Texas.

Transcript Highlights:

• Administrator of the Texas Water Development Board.
• Just real briefly about the Texas Water Development Board.
• created the Texas Water Fund.
• Texas Water Fund was very beneficial for the board, and I think very beneficial for Texas, because you
• at the $1 billion for the Texas Water Fund. The 25% had to be used for new water supply.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• To be clear, everybody lost something that day, including Texas. And I've Including Texas.
• The Texas Rangers took over.
• It depends on the water, I guess. I don't know.
• Isn't that required by the Texas Administrative Code?
• The outrage of potentially Texas... ...outrage of potentially Texas saying, it's okay.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We're currently undergoing rule-making for Title 30 of the Texas Administrative Code Chapter 328, Waste
• We're housed within the Texas Department of Insurance and serve as the fire code authority in approximately
• The Texas Department of Insurance and serve as the fire code authority in approximately two-thirds of
• the Texas counties, primarily in areas without a local adopted fire code or a fire code official.
• The growth in energy power that's happening in Texas seems to be on the backs of rural Texas.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So this bill hard codes a specific funding formula into the constitution.
• That are in brine water that right now are just being wasted back into the ground.
• Very similar to our relationship with the state of Texas.
• Again, my question is could These procedure codes and then looking at the cost.
• Representative Texas is actually just expanded their medical marijuana licensing and availability.

Bills: HB4420, HB3974, HB3016, HB3062, HB3021, HB3145, HB4128, HB3131, HB3015, HB3472, HB3453, HB1638, HB4126, HB2696, HB2710, HB3552, HB3031, HB3544, HB3521, HB4490, HB4488, HB1746, HJR1069, HB4428, HB4429, HB1170, HB3538, HB4124, HB3904, HB4106, HB2999, HB3982, HJR1077, HB3464, HB2588, HB3462, HB4440, HB3674, HB3345, HJR1067, HB4326, HB4331, HB4337, HB4338, HB4359, HB4392, HB3557, HJR1076, HB4003, HB3495, HB3497, HB3501, HB3505, HB3749, HB3011, HB4336, HB4346, HJR1087, HB3240, HB3647, HB3796, HB3969, HB3972, HB3983, HB3984, HB3989, HB3383, HB3130, HB4358, HB3327, HJR1055, HB3386, HJR1089, HB3087, HB2970, HB3314, HB4129, HB4199

Keywords: reading, intervention, literacy, education, third grade retention, teacher training, funding, Strong Readers Act, tort claims, inmate housing, government immunity, public trust, private prison, emergency legislation, vision screening, binocular vision, kindergarten, elementary education, health, firearm rights