By: Carona S.B. No. 1462
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the use of public facilities as emergency shelters
during disasters.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subdivision (1), Section 418.004, Government
Code, is amended to read as follows:
(1) "Disaster" means the occurrence or imminent threat
of widespread or severe damage, injury, or loss of life or property
resulting from any natural or man-made cause, including fire,
flood, earthquake, wind, storm, wave action, oil spill or other
water contamination, volcanic activity, epidemic, air
contamination, blight, drought, infestation, explosion, riot,
hostile military or paramilitary action, extreme heat, other public
calamity requiring emergency action, or energy emergency.
SECTION 2. Subsection (a), Section 418.042, Government
Code, is amended to read as follows:
(a) The division shall prepare and keep current a
comprehensive state emergency management plan. The plan may
include:
(1) provisions for prevention and minimization of
injury and damage caused by disaster;
(2) provisions for prompt and effective response to
disaster;
(3) provisions for emergency relief;
(4) provisions for energy emergencies;
(5) identification of areas particularly vulnerable
to disasters;
(6) recommendations for zoning, building
restrictions, and other land-use controls, safety measures for
securing mobile homes or other nonpermanent or semipermanent
structures, and other preventive and preparedness measures
designed to eliminate or reduce disasters or their impact;
(7) provisions for assistance to local officials in
designing local emergency management plans;
(8) authorization and procedures for the erection or
other construction of temporary works designed to protect against
or mitigate danger, damage, or loss from flood, fire, or other
disaster;
(9) preparation and distribution to the appropriate
state and local officials of state catalogs of federal, state, and
private assistance programs;
(10) organization of manpower and channels of
assistance;
(11) coordination of federal, state, and local
emergency management activities;
(12) coordination of the state emergency management
plan with the emergency management plans of the federal government;
(13) coordination of federal and state energy
emergency plans;
(14) provisions for education and training of local
officials on activation of the Emergency Alert System established
under 47 C.F.R. Part 11; [and]
(15) a list of public facilities that may be used under
Section 418.017 to shelter individuals during a disaster, including
air-conditioned facilities for shelter during an extreme heat
disaster and fortified structures for shelter during a wind
disaster; and
(16) other necessary matters relating to disasters.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2009.