A proposed constitutional amendment that could provide state funding meant to prevent catastrophic flooding will head to the voters this November.
The measure, known as House Joint Resolution (HJR) 4, would create a Flood Infrastructure Fund (FIF) that could allocate money for drainage, flood mitigation and flood control projects, according to a press release. Texas voters will decided on the FIF when the amendment is placed on the November 2019 ballot.
HJR 4 was part of a larger disaster response package that included House Bills 5, 6 and 13. According to the release, the FIF would have an initial $3.26 billion deposit from the state’s Rainy Day Fund.
State Rep. Erin Zwiener (D-Driftwood), who supported HJR 4’s passage through the Texas House, said in a statement Hays and Blanco counties must invest in “smarter safer ways to manage and mitigate natural disasters” such as flood events.
“By creating this fund, we are planning ahead and equipping our state with the resources necessary to handle the volume of flooding we’ve seen in recent years,” Zwiener said.
Speaker of the House Dennis Bonnen (R-Angleton) lauded the efforts to pass the legislation, while also thanking Zwiener for helping to pass the amendment.
“This legislation applies the lessons learned from Hurricane Harvey to improve response and recovery statewide, while also providing support to those affected,” Bonnen said. “Texas has undergone enormous challenges in recent months since Hurricane Harvey devastated the Gulf Coast.
Meanwhile, a handful of bills authored by Zwiener aimed at curbing sexual misconduct advanced to committee last week.
House Bill 2672, which increases the window of reporting a sexual assault claim from 180 days to two years, as well as House Bill 2678, which requires the Texas Department of Public Safety to maintain sexual assault statistics, were introduced to the House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee.
In addition, HB 2279, which extends sexual harrassment protections to employees of businesses large and small, was passed out of the House International Relations and Economic Development Committee.
Zwiener said in a statement the bills would progress the enforcement of sexual assault by providing data to atuhroirites.
“With this legislation, we can begin to understand and address why victims of sexual assault are less likely to receive justice,” Zwiener said.
