Bill Text: TX HB232 | 2025 | 89th Legislature 2nd Special Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to establishment of the disaster recovery fund.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2025-08-20 - Referred to Disaster Preparedness & Flooding [HB232 Detail]
Download: Texas-2025-HB232-Introduced.html
| 89S20426 CS-D | ||
| By: Virdell | H.B. No. 232 | |
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| relating to establishment of the disaster recovery fund. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Chapter 418, Government Code, is amended by | ||
| adding Subchapter M to read as follows: | ||
| SUBCHAPTER M. DISASTER RECOVERY FUND | ||
| Sec. 418.451. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. (a) The legislature | ||
| finds that natural disasters frequently result in injury to | ||
| residents of this state and cause property damage and financial | ||
| loss. | ||
| (b) The purpose of this subchapter is to provide | ||
| compensation to residents of this state who are victims of a natural | ||
| disaster when federal disaster relief does not adequately address | ||
| the losses suffered by those residents. | ||
| Sec. 418.452. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: | ||
| (1) "Claimant" means: | ||
| (A) an individual who is a resident of this state | ||
| who suffers direct personal injury, financial loss, or property | ||
| damage or loss as a result of a qualifying weather event; or | ||
| (B) a person who legally assumes the obligation | ||
| to pay or who voluntarily pays expenses related to the recovery of | ||
| an individual described by Paragraph (A). | ||
| (2) "Fund" means the disaster recovery fund | ||
| established under Section 418.453. | ||
| (3) "Qualifying weather event" means a natural | ||
| disaster caused by severe weather conditions, including floods, | ||
| hurricanes, fires, tornadoes, wind, hail, lightning, extreme heat, | ||
| ice, or snow, that results in a declaration of a state of emergency | ||
| or disaster in this state by the governor or a federal authority. | ||
| Sec. 418.453. DISASTER RECOVERY FUND. (a) The disaster | ||
| recovery fund is established as a special fund in the state treasury | ||
| to be administered by the division. | ||
| (b) The fund consists of: | ||
| (1) money appropriated by the legislature for deposit | ||
| or transfer to the credit of the fund; | ||
| (2) grants or other money received from the federal | ||
| government that may be used for a purpose of the fund; | ||
| (3) donations, gifts, or grants received by the | ||
| division that may be used for a purpose of the fund; | ||
| (4) revenue from assessments or surcharges deposited | ||
| to the credit of the fund as directed by the legislature; and | ||
| (5) interest earned on the money in the fund. | ||
| (c) Money in the fund may be appropriated to the division | ||
| only to provide compensation for a purpose described by Section | ||
| 418.455 to an eligible claimant. | ||
| Sec. 418.454. ELIGIBILITY. A claimant is eligible for | ||
| compensation paid from the fund if the claimant submits an | ||
| application to the division for a type of compensation authorized | ||
| under Section 418.455 not later than the second anniversary of the | ||
| date of the qualifying weather event that forms the basis of the | ||
| claim. | ||
| Sec. 418.455. COMPENSATION. (a) The division may, using | ||
| money in the fund appropriated for that purpose, pay compensation | ||
| to an eligible claimant for any of the following expenses incurred | ||
| as a result of a qualifying weather event: | ||
| (1) repair or replacement of property; | ||
| (2) medical expenses related to injuries sustained by | ||
| the claimant; | ||
| (3) temporary housing or relocation costs; | ||
| (4) lost wages due to displacement or injury; or | ||
| (5) other reasonable expenses directly related to | ||
| recovery from the qualifying weather event. | ||
| (b) The division may not pay compensation to a claimant who | ||
| would otherwise be eligible for the compensation if: | ||
| (1) the claimant knowingly or intentionally | ||
| contributed to the injury or loss that forms the basis of the claim; | ||
| or | ||
| (2) the claimant has been or will be fully reimbursed | ||
| for the injury or loss by insurance or another federal or state | ||
| assistance program. | ||
| (c) The division may establish maximum compensation limits | ||
| for each category of compensation authorized by this section. | ||
| Sec. 418.456. APPLICATION. (a) A claimant must submit an | ||
| application to the division in the form and manner prescribed by the | ||
| division. | ||
| (b) The application must include at least the following | ||
| information: | ||
| (1) proof of the claimant's residency; | ||
| (2) documentation of losses or expenses that are the | ||
| subject of the application; and | ||
| (3) evidence that the loss or injury is the direct | ||
| result of a qualifying weather event. | ||
| Sec. 418.457. PAYMENT OF CLAIM; LIMITATIONS. (a) The | ||
| division shall approve or deny a claim not later than the 60th day | ||
| after the date the division receives a completed application from a | ||
| claimant. | ||
| (b) The division is not required to pay a claim if | ||
| sufficient money is not appropriated by the legislature to pay the | ||
| claim. | ||
| (c) The division may prioritize the payment of certain | ||
| claims based on demonstrated need and the severity of the effects of | ||
| the qualifying weather event. | ||
| Sec. 418.458. RULES. The division may adopt rules as | ||
| necessary for carrying out the purposes of this subchapter. | ||
| SECTION 2. This Act takes effect January 1, 2026. | ||
