| 1 | 1 | | 87R5127 RDS-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Thierry H.B. No. 1983 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to statewide preparedness and long-term recovery |
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| 8 | 8 | | strategies for certain issues arising from a pandemic or other |
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| 9 | 9 | | disaster. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Section 418.004(1), Government Code, is amended |
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| 12 | 12 | | to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (1) "Disaster" means the occurrence or imminent threat |
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| 14 | 14 | | of widespread or severe damage, injury, or loss of life or property |
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| 15 | 15 | | resulting from any natural or man-made cause, including fire, |
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| 16 | 16 | | flood, earthquake, wind, storm, wave action, oil spill or other |
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| 17 | 17 | | water contamination, volcanic activity, pandemic, epidemic, air |
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| 18 | 18 | | contamination, blight, drought, infestation, explosion, riot, |
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| 19 | 19 | | hostile military or paramilitary action, extreme heat, |
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| 20 | 20 | | cybersecurity event, other public calamity requiring emergency |
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| 21 | 21 | | action, or energy emergency. |
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| 22 | 22 | | SECTION 2. Section 418.054(g), Government Code, as added by |
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| 23 | 23 | | Chapter 602 (S.B. 799), Acts of the 86th Legislature, Regular |
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| 24 | 24 | | Session, 2019, is amended to read as follows: |
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| 25 | 25 | | (g) The advisory council shall: |
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| 26 | 26 | | (1) advise the division on policies, rules, and |
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| 27 | 27 | | program operations to assist businesses in recovering from a |
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| 28 | 28 | | disaster; |
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| 29 | 29 | | (2) advise the division on the state resources and |
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| 30 | 30 | | services needed to assist businesses in recovering from a |
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| 31 | 31 | | catastrophic loss of electric power; [and] |
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| 32 | 32 | | (3) propose solutions to address inefficiencies or |
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| 33 | 33 | | problems in the state or local governmental disaster response with |
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| 34 | 34 | | respect to impact on businesses and the economy; and |
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| 35 | 35 | | (4) propose solutions to mitigate medical supply chain |
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| 36 | 36 | | problems and nursing and physician staff shortages that may occur |
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| 37 | 37 | | during a disaster. |
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| 38 | 38 | | SECTION 3. Section 418.054, Government Code, as added by |
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| 39 | 39 | | Chapters 576 (S.B. 289) and 1018 (H.B. 6), Acts of the 86th |
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| 40 | 40 | | Legislature, Regular Session, 2019, is amended by adding Subsection |
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| 41 | 41 | | (e) to read as follows: |
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| 42 | 42 | | (e) The disaster recovery task force shall address |
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| 43 | 43 | | long-term solutions to issues arising from a disaster that are |
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| 44 | 44 | | specific to a pandemic or epidemic, including unemployment issues |
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| 45 | 45 | | and rental policies and other housing issues. |
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| 46 | 46 | | SECTION 4. To the extent of any conflict, this Act prevails |
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| 47 | 47 | | over another Act of the 87th Legislature, Regular Session, 2021, |
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| 48 | 48 | | relating to nonsubstantive additions to and corrections in enacted |
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| 49 | 49 | | codes. |
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| 50 | 50 | | SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 51 | 51 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 52 | 52 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 53 | 53 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 54 | 54 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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