By: Taylor S.R. No. 1076
SENATE RESOLUTION
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the State of Texas, 83rd
Legislature, Regular Session, 2013, That Senate Rule 12.03 be
suspended in part as provided by Senate Rule 12.08 to enable the
conference committee appointed to resolve the differences on
House Bill 3459 (access to and protection of certain coastal
areas) to consider and take action on the following matter:
Senate Rule 12.03(4) is suspended to permit the committee
to add text on a matter which is not included in either the house
or senate version of the bill by adding the following new
SECTIONS to the bill:
SECTION 7. The legislature finds that:
(1) the Galveston-Houston region and the region's
economic and strategic infrastructure are at risk due to exposure
to potential catastrophic storm surge;
(2) to protect the Galveston-Houston region's five
million residents and the region's economic and strategic
infrastructure, various federal, state, and local entities, led
by Texas A&M University at Galveston, are studying and developing
conceptual designs for a coastal barrier to protect the region
from hurricane-induced storm surge;
(3) as currently envisioned, a project referred to
as the "Ike Dike" would extend the protection afforded by the
Galveston Seawall along the rest of Galveston Island and along
the Bolivar Peninsula by creating a 17-foot-high revetment (sand
covered dune with hardened cores) near the beach or by raising
coastal highways;
(4) the addition of floodgates at Bolivar Roads, at
the entrance to the Houston, Texas City, and Galveston Ship
Channels, and at San Luis Pass would complete a coastal spine
that would provide a barrier against all gulf surges into
Galveston Bay;
(5) a research team is being led by Texas A&M
University at Galveston through its Center for Texas Beaches and
Shores using strong partnerships with the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security Coastal Hazards Center of Excellence at
Jackson State University, the Netherlands' Delft University of
Technology's Department of Hydraulic Engineering, and the
University of Houston C. T. Bauer College of Business's Institute
for Regional Forecasting;
(6) the General Land Office is a sponsor of and
nonfederal partner for a United States Army Corps of Engineers
study of the upper Texas coast to develop a list of specific
recommended projects that may become eligible for federal
appropriations;
(7) the United States Army Corps of Engineers study,
which encompasses Brazoria, Galveston, Harris, Chambers,
Jefferson, and Orange Counties, includes the coastal
barrier/"Ike Dike" concept; and
(8) as a result of the studies and recommendations
described by this section, the legislature may need to enact or
amend state law to accommodate the building of a coastal barrier
to protect the region from hurricane-induced storm surge.
SECTION 8. (a) The legislature shall establish a joint
interim committee to conduct a study of:
(1) the effectiveness of the implementation of the
changes in law made by this Act to Chapter 61, Natural Resources
Code; and
(2) the feasibility and desirability of:
(A) creating and maintaining a coastal barrier
system in this state that includes a series of gates and barriers
to prevent storm surge damage to gulf beaches or coastal ports,
industry, or property; and
(B) authorizing coastal property owners to
grant easements to governmental entities to construct and
maintain stabilized dunes in connection with or separately from
the system.
(b) The committee is composed of:
(1) the members of the standing committee of the
senate that has primary jurisdiction over natural resources;
(2) the members of the standing committee of the
house of representatives that has primary jurisdiction over land
and resource management;
(3) two members of the senate appointed by the
lieutenant governor, each of whom represents a district in a
county that borders the Gulf of Mexico; and
(4) two members of the house of representatives
appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives, each of
whom represents a district in a county that borders the Gulf of
Mexico.
(c) The lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house
of representatives shall jointly designate a chair or,
alternatively, designate two co-chairs from among the committee
membership.
(d) The committee may adopt rules necessary to carry out
the committee's duties under this section.
(e) Not later than December 1, 2014, the committee shall
report to the governor and the legislature the findings of the
study and any recommendations developed by the committee under
this section.
Explanation: This addition is necessary to provide for a
study determining the effectiveness of the implementation of the
changes in law made by the bill to Chapter 61, Natural Resources
Code, and determining the feasibility and desirability of
certain coastal protection measures.
_______________________________
President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on May 26, 2013, by the
following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.
_______________________________
Secretary of the Senate