Legislative Roundup: Dredging, Mining, Permitting, Funding

5/18/25 – Here’s a legislative roundup that includes bills which address dredging, mining, permitting of new developments, and funding of flood mitigation. With only two weeks left in the session, it appears that several bills important to the Lake Houston Area have died in committee including a bill to fund long-term dredging.

Left on the Table

The bills that apparently died include:

HB1532 – which would have created a Lake Houston Dredging and Maintenance District.

HB1163 – which would have required sand miners in the San Jacinto watershed to develop a reclamation plan that met certain criteria and post a bond to ensure that miners executed the plan.

HB1177 – which would have created a criminal offense for diverting or impounding water in a way that damaged the property of another.

HB2068 – which would have transformed the Harris County Flood Control District with a board appointed by the governor and by allowing surrounding counties to join the District. It would have created regional flood control. But Harris County officials testified against it and it died in committee.

To check the status of any other bills or subjects that interest you, visit the Texas Legislature Online.

Still Alive

The Senate Local Government Committee will hold another hearing on Monday May 19, 2025 to consider a small number of bills that didn’t beat Friday’s deadline.

Among them, HB23 would let developers bypass government oversight during the permitting process by hiring engineers to act as compliance inspectors on their behalf. The bills authors claim it will make housing more affordable. But it has local governments concerned that they might lose oversight.

It certainly does appear to have plenty of potential for conflict of interest. “Dad, I’ve decided to let myself borrow your car tonight.”

Senator Brandon Creighton sponsored the Senate version of the bill. In his civilian job, he works for a developer.

Flood Mitigation Funding Still Up in Air

Flood mitigation funding also took it on the chin. The legislature did not directly allocate any more money to the state’s Flood Infrastructure Fund (FIF) which has been dwindling since 2023. The fund currently has less than a billion dollars left to address $54 billion worth of projects in the State Flood Plan. Plus regional flood groups are gearing up to add more projects to the plan.

This year, the legislature did not commit any funding exclusively to the Flood Infrastructure Fund. However, two bills are still alive that could potentially result in more funding: SB7 and HJR7.

If they somehow become law:

The FIF will be moved under the umbrella of the Texas Water Fund (TWF).
The TWF will receive $2.5B in one time funding from the economic stabilization fund.
A constitutional amendment will be put to the voters in November establishing a permanent source of funding for the TWF to the tune of $1B annually.
That $1B might be required to commit 80% to “New Water Supply” if Charles Perry has his way, but others are pushing back, preferring to give the TWDB Board the discretion to distribute as they see appropriate.

Uncertainty Abounds for Future of Flood Mitigation

The uncertainty surrounding State funding for flood mitigation is especially concerning given all the uncertainty surrounding federal funding for flood mitigation.

The uncertainty extends to the local level too. Harris County Flood Control District was supposed to make a presentation to Commissioners Court on the status of Flood Bond Funding on May 22. Commissioners requested the update in late February. However, HCFCD reportedly pleaded for more time and the presentation has been delayed.

Commissioners fear that inflation could mean that a large percentage of the projects promised with the flood bond never get done. They are grappling with a $100 million drainage funding shortfall.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/18/25

2819 Days since Hurricane Harvey