Tag Archive for: HB2068

Poignant Letter to Governor Urges Him to Support HB2068

4-14-2025 – Two weeks ago, I posted about HB2068, State Rep. Dennis Paul’s bill. It has the potential to create more effective flood control for more people.

Flooded property in May 2024 near San Jacinto East Fork in Montgomery County just north of Harris County line.

The post prompted 192 readers from across the river basin to write the House Natural Resources committee in support of HB2068. But not all concerned citizens stopped with the committee. One, who wishes to remain anonymous, sent me the text of a poignant letter he wrote to Governor Abbott. It expressed sentiments I hear from many flood victims.

Letter to Governor about HB2068

Honorable Governor,

We desperately need your help in the Harris County, Kingwood, Conroe and Lake Houston Area.

As we all know, flooding rivers and streams do not respect jurisdictional boundaries. The water from several counties, cities and tributaries all end up in Lake Houston.

Eight (8) years ago I received 3 1/2 feet of water in my 1 1/2 year old single-story house. The financial, emotional and physical impacts of this event were devastating.

Red tape and politics aside, VERY LITTLE has been done during the past 8 years to mitigate future flooding. This is proven by several flood threats as a result of flooding from slightly greater than normal rainstorms.

The Harris County Judge and certain Commissioners have totally failed us. We supported a Flood Bond in 2018 to implement a number of much needed projects. But what did the County officials do? They changed the “rules of the project prioritization.” They said they would tackle the hardest-hit areas first. Instead they’re funneling the money almost exclusively to folks in low-to-moderate income areas.

The officials refer to it as “equity”; I refer to it as buying votes. Now, it is my understanding that all funds have been spent.

The City of Houston clearly knows additional gates need to be added to the Lake Houston Dam to handle the release of water from Lake Conroe. The City has been overseeing this project for over 6 years and not one thimble of dirt has been moved.

We are sick and tired of hearing excuse, after excuse, after excuse of why it is taking so long. It is my understanding that funding was approved. But I have to believe that inflation has seriously reduced the amount that will be available to spend.

Study, after expensive study, has been performed. BUT – no meaningful projects to curb flooding have been implemented.

I do not minimize the cost, time and complexity of these projects. BUT IT HAS BEEN 8 YEARS.

I’m convinced the current governing structure, as well as the officials involved, are incapable of planning and executing efforts to successfully mitigate future flooding.

THE TEXAS HOUSE IS CURRENTLY CONSIDERING A BILL THAT WILL CREATE A MULTI- JURISDICTIONAL BODY TO OVERSEE FLOOD CONTROL: HB2068.

ANY HELP YOU CAN PROVIDE TO MOVE THIS FORWARD WOULD BE DEEPLY APPRECIATED.

We have been very “lucky” to not have a repeat of Harvey since 2017. However, I fear everyday for my family that our luck is about to run out!

Sincerely,

(Name withheld at reader’s request)

Don’t Stop Now

Sound familiar? Please support HB2068. Write the governor and your other elected representatives.

But don’t wait too long. The vast majority of bills die in committees and never even see a vote on the House or Senate floors.

HB2068 received some good news today. State Rep. Charles Cunningham signed on as a co-author. But the bill is still pending in committee.

For More Information

For more information about HB2068, see these posts:

25/04/09 Natural Resources Committee Hears Testimony on HB2068

25/04/08 Action Needed: Support HB2068 NOW!

Full Text of Bill as Filed

Follow progress of the bill on Texas Legislature Online website.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/14/2025

2785 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Action Needed: Support HB2068 NOW!

4/8/25 – State Representative Dennis Paul has authored a bill, HB2068, which would transform the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) by reconstituting its management and potentially expanding its geographic scope. Fifteen other state representatives have expressed their support by signing on as “co-authors” of the bill. Most represent parts of the San Jacinto River Basin.

The Texas House of Representatives Natural Resources committee will hold hearings on the bill tomorrow. We need to make sure the bill doesn’t die a quiet death by never making it out of the committee for a vote by the full House. So please write today to express your support.

Why We Need HB2068

Water doesn’t respect political boundaries. Back in 1937 when the legislature created HCFCD, that wasn’t a huge problem. Most of the region’s population lived within Harris County.

But since then, the Houston area has grown to encompass all or parts of seven counties. Having the state’s only flood control district focusing primarily on the area inside Beltway 8 no longer serves the needs of the region.

For instance, in the San Jacinto watershed, an area half again as large as Harris County drains past Kingwood. Yet Kingwood has received only $230 in capital improvement construction projects from HCFCD. Ever.

But during Harvey, Kingwood also had the highest flooding in the county. And it has flooded several times since then.

Meanwhile, eight other watersheds favored by certain Harris County Commissioners have received more than $740 million…just since 2018.

Their formula for allocating funds relies heavily on race and income. The majority of County Commissioners now in control do not even include flood damage or risk in their current formula for prioritizing flood-mitigation projects.

Moreover, HCFCD under the leadership of Harris County Commissioners Court refuses to release comparative flood risk data in their possession.

Plus, certain commissioners have vowed not to allow HCFCD to spend money on projects outside of Harris County, where many of the County’s flooding problems originate.

How HB2068 Could Change That

HB2068 modifies the legislation that originally created HCFCD. The modifications do two basic things. They:

  • Replace Harris County Commissioners Court as managers of HCFCD with a board appointed by the governor. (See Section 1D Page 3.)
  • Allow surrounding counties to join the reconstituted district voluntarily after approval by their Commissioners Courts and voters.

Thus…

HB2068 would enable the reconstituted district to serve all people of the river basin and give them a way to address their flooding issues together.

Flooding does not respect political boundaries. HB2068 bridges those boundaries.

How to Express Your Support

The Natural Resources committee will meet on Wednesday April 9, 2025 to hear testimony on HB2068.

Remember public comments must be submitted before the end of the meeting. To be safe, do it now! And do it here. You are limited to 3000 characters. I suggest something that expresses the key points above under:

  • Why We Need HB2068
  • How HB2068 Could Change That.

They include 2000 characters.

If you are pressed for time, just say, “I support this bill.”

Please DO IT NOW!

Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/8/2025

2779 Days since Hurricane Harvey