88R2701 ANG-D
By: Raymond H.B. No. 570
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to a study by the Texas Division of Emergency Management of
the potential effects of droughts and wildfires in this state.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. DEFINITION. In this Act, "division" means the
Texas Division of Emergency Management.
SECTION 2. STUDY. (a) The division shall conduct a study
regarding the potential effects of droughts and wildfires in this
state over the next 50 years. The study must include an assessment
of:
(1) the projected ecological effects of droughts and
wildfires, including:
(A) harm to plants, animals, and water bodies;
and
(B) damage to state parks and other public lands;
(2) the projected effects of droughts on the
temperature in urban areas, including:
(A) increases in the demand for energy and water;
(B) demands on public health facilities;
(C) any decline in business productivity; and
(D) any decline in tourism;
(3) the projected economic effects of droughts and
wildfires, including:
(A) agricultural losses; and
(B) damage to infrastructure;
(4) vulnerabilities to droughts and wildfires;
(5) the availability of local resources to combat
wildfires and adapt to droughts; and
(6) potential mitigation strategies for reducing the
risk of and damage caused by droughts and wildfires.
(b) In conducting the study, the division shall solicit and
consider information from:
(1) the Department of Public Safety;
(2) the Department of Agriculture;
(3) the Parks and Wildlife Department;
(4) the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality; and
(5) other agencies, municipalities, and environmental
organizations as necessary.
SECTION 3. REPORT. Not later than March 1, 2024, the
division shall submit to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the
speaker of the house of representatives, and each standing
committee of the legislature with primary jurisdiction over the
division, the Department of Public Safety, the Department of
Agriculture, the Parks and Wildlife Department, and the Texas
Commission on Environmental Quality a written report that includes
a summary of the study and any legislative recommendations based on
the study.
SECTION 4. EXPIRATION. This Act expires January 1, 2025.
SECTION 5. EFFECTIVE DATE. 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, 2023.