| 1 | 1 | | 88R2701 ANG-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Raymond H.B. No. 570 |
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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 a study by the Texas Division of Emergency Management of |
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| 8 | 8 | | the potential effects of droughts and wildfires in this state. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. DEFINITION. In this Act, "division" means the |
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| 11 | 11 | | Texas Division of Emergency Management. |
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| 12 | 12 | | SECTION 2. STUDY. (a) The division shall conduct a study |
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| 13 | 13 | | regarding the potential effects of droughts and wildfires in this |
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| 14 | 14 | | state over the next 50 years. The study must include an assessment |
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| 15 | 15 | | of: |
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| 16 | 16 | | (1) the projected ecological effects of droughts and |
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| 17 | 17 | | wildfires, including: |
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| 18 | 18 | | (A) harm to plants, animals, and water bodies; |
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| 19 | 19 | | and |
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| 20 | 20 | | (B) damage to state parks and other public lands; |
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| 21 | 21 | | (2) the projected effects of droughts on the |
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| 22 | 22 | | temperature in urban areas, including: |
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| 23 | 23 | | (A) increases in the demand for energy and water; |
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| 24 | 24 | | (B) demands on public health facilities; |
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| 25 | 25 | | (C) any decline in business productivity; and |
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| 26 | 26 | | (D) any decline in tourism; |
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| 27 | 27 | | (3) the projected economic effects of droughts and |
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| 28 | 28 | | wildfires, including: |
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| 29 | 29 | | (A) agricultural losses; and |
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| 30 | 30 | | (B) damage to infrastructure; |
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| 31 | 31 | | (4) vulnerabilities to droughts and wildfires; |
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| 32 | 32 | | (5) the availability of local resources to combat |
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| 33 | 33 | | wildfires and adapt to droughts; and |
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| 34 | 34 | | (6) potential mitigation strategies for reducing the |
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| 35 | 35 | | risk of and damage caused by droughts and wildfires. |
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| 36 | 36 | | (b) In conducting the study, the division shall solicit and |
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| 37 | 37 | | consider information from: |
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| 38 | 38 | | (1) the Department of Public Safety; |
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| 39 | 39 | | (2) the Department of Agriculture; |
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| 40 | 40 | | (3) the Parks and Wildlife Department; |
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| 41 | 41 | | (4) the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality; and |
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| 42 | 42 | | (5) other agencies, municipalities, and environmental |
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| 43 | 43 | | organizations as necessary. |
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| 44 | 44 | | SECTION 3. REPORT. Not later than March 1, 2024, the |
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| 45 | 45 | | division shall submit to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the |
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| 46 | 46 | | speaker of the house of representatives, and each standing |
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| 47 | 47 | | committee of the legislature with primary jurisdiction over the |
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| 48 | 48 | | division, the Department of Public Safety, the Department of |
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| 49 | 49 | | Agriculture, the Parks and Wildlife Department, and the Texas |
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| 50 | 50 | | Commission on Environmental Quality a written report that includes |
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| 51 | 51 | | a summary of the study and any legislative recommendations based on |
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| 52 | 52 | | the study. |
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| 53 | 53 | | SECTION 4. EXPIRATION. This Act expires January 1, 2025. |
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| 54 | 54 | | SECTION 5. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect |
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| 55 | 55 | | immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members |
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| 56 | 56 | | elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas |
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| 57 | 57 | | Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for |
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| 58 | 58 | | immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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