GOVERNOR SIGNS HARVEY RECOVERY AND RELIEF LEGISLATION
Governor Greg Abbott has signed into law disaster relief and recovery legislation authored and sponsored by Senator Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham).
(courtesy Office of the Governor)
Governor Abbott met with Kolkhorst, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick (R-Texas), Speaker Dennis Bonnen (R-Angleton), emergency management officials and other legislators at a bill signing ceremony Thursday.
Several bills were signed at the ceremony, including House Bill 5 and Senate Bills 6 and 7. Kolkhorst said the signing ceremony was personal because every county in Senate District 18 was declared a federal disaster area from Hurricane Harvey. She said homes, businesses, and entire families were devastated, but “the Texas spirit to recover and rebuild has been inspiring”.
House Bill 5, authored by Representative Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) and sponsored by Kolkhorst, requires the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) to develop a catastrophic debris management plan and training. It also establishes a work group to make recommendations on how local governments and property owners’ associations can assist with recovery efforts. In addition, it requires TDEM to develop a model contract for debris removal.
Senate Bill 6, authored by Kolkhorst and sponsored by Representative Geanie Morrison (R-Victoria), requires TDEM to develop a disaster response model guide and a wet debris study group for local communities. SB 6 also creates a disaster recovery loan program within TDEM for communities that suffered major infrastructure damage.
Senate Bill 7, co-authored by Kolkhorst and sponsored by Phelan, sets the framework for providing a total of $1.6 billion through the Texas Infrastructure Resilience Fund (TIRF). These will be provided as matching funds available to those communities hardest hit by Hurricane Harvey, and through the Flood Infrastructure Fund for statewide infrastructure projects to alleviate future flooding events.
Kolkhorst said survivors and victims of Harvey must never be forgotten, and the best way to pay tribute to them is to “unite as Texans helping other Texans” and create an action plan for the next disaster. She added she was proud to pass these pieces of legislation to protect the state against future natural disasters.
The signing ceremony Thursday was held at Gallery Furniture in Houston, owned by Jim McIngvale, also known as "Mattress Mack”. When Harvey hit Houston in August 2017, McIngvale opened two of his stores as shelters for Houstonians displaced by the storm.