Dredging District Bill Passes Unanimously in Senate

5/28/25 – HB1532, the Lake Houston Area Dredging District Bill, passed unanimously in the Texas Senate tonight, 31-0.

“My first thought after I saw this passed was that it was a victory for Kingwood,” said Representative Charles Cunningham who pushed the idea of a dredging district relentlessly for years.

Today is the last day of the legislative session that the Senate considers bills. So it was do-or-die time. And Senator Brandon Creighton teed the bill up perfectly with the help of Senator Paul Bettencourt who shepherded the bill through his Local Government Committee.

Now, it’s on to the Governor’s desk. The good news: shortly after Harvey, Governor Abbott visited Kingwood. He flew up and down the West Fork. He personally saw the mouth bar and other sediment buildups in our rivers and streams.

After his helicopter landed, he issued seven directives designed to reduce flood risk in the Lake Houston Area. And this is a huge step in that direction. So, he should be onboard.

Congratulations

Thank you to all those who wrote letters, testified in Austin, and never gave up hope for a dredging district. It was a true team effort between residents who never forgot the pain of flooding and leaders who never forgot those they represented. Together, we will make a difference for future generations and the future of the area.

I would be remiss if I didn’t also thank former State Rep. Dan Huberty; former Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin; City Council Members Fred Flickinger and Twila Carter; and the Army Corps of Engineers. They started this ball rolling years ago. \

And thank you, too, Houston Mayor John Whitmire. Former City Flood Czar Stephen Costello. The architects of the 2018 Flood Bond. Congressman Dan Crenshaw. Harris County Commissioner Tom Ramsey. And Bill McCabe and Dianne Lansden, who kept the Lake Houston Area Flood Prevention Initiation going for years.

My apologies to anyone I overlooked. So many contributed! They all had one thing in common. They put the safety of each other above partisan politics. And it showed in tonight’s unanimous vote.

Beating the Odds

Between “dream” and “done” in the Texas legislature, there’s a lot of hard work.

I came across this table today on the Texas Legislature Online website. It shows the success rate of various types of legislation to date.

Of all the bills introduced in both the House and Senate to date, only about 1 in 12 made it this far.

*These numbers will change tomorrow because of additional bills passed today in both the House and Senate.*

Here’s what each of those acronyms above stands for:

HB – House Bill

A proposed law originating in the House of Representatives.
If passed by both chambers and signed by the Governor (or allowed to become law), it becomes part of Texas statute.
Used for substantive changes to law (e.g., criminal statutes, environmental rules, etc.).

SB – Senate Bill

A proposed law originating in the Senate.
Same process and purpose as an HB, just introduced in the Senate instead of the House.

HJR – House Joint Resolution

Proposes an amendment to the Texas Constitution or requests Congress to call a constitutional convention.
Does not require the Governor’s signature.
If it’s a proposed constitutional amendment, it must be approved by voters in a statewide election.
Originates in the House.

SJR – Senate Joint Resolution

Same as HJR, but introduced in the Senate.

HCR – House Concurrent Resolution

Expresses the will of the House and Senate together but does not have the force of law.
Often used to make requests of federal government, authorize ceremonial recognitions, or approve internal legislative matters (e.g., adjournment).
Requires approval by both chambers, but not the Governor’s signature.

SCR – Senate Concurrent Resolution

Same as HCR, but introduced in the Senate.

HR – House Resolution

Used for internal House matters or to express one chamber’s opinion or recognition.
Examples: honoring a constituent, changing House rules.
Only requires action in the House.

SR – Senate Resolution

Same as HR, but for the Senate.

The table below summarizes key differences.

Summary Table

Type	Origin	Purpose	Requires Governor’s Signature?
HB	House	Statutory law	✅ Yes
SB	Senate	Statutory law	✅ Yes
HJR	House	Constitutional amendment	❌ No (goes to voters)
SJR	Senate	Constitutional amendment	❌ No (goes to voters)
HCR	House	Ceremonial / joint action	❌ No
SCR	Senate	Ceremonial / joint action	❌ No
HR	House	House-only resolution	❌ No
SR	Senate	Senate-only resolution	❌ No