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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to a study by the Texas Division of Emergency Management of |
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the potential effects of droughts and wildfires in this state. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. DEFINITION. In this Act, "division" means the |
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Texas Division of Emergency Management. |
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SECTION 2. STUDY. (a) The division shall conduct a study |
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regarding the potential effects of droughts and wildfires in this |
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state over the next 50 years. The study must include an assessment |
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of: |
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(1) the projected ecological effects of droughts and |
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wildfires, including: |
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(A) harm to plants, animals, and water bodies; |
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and |
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(B) damage to state parks and other public lands; |
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(2) the projected effects of droughts on the |
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temperature in urban areas, including: |
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(A) increases in the demand for energy and water; |
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(B) demands on public health facilities; |
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(C) any decline in business productivity; and |
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(D) any decline in tourism; |
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(3) the projected economic effects of droughts and |
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wildfires, including: |
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(A) agricultural losses; and |
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(B) damage to infrastructure; |
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(4) vulnerabilities to droughts and wildfires; |
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(5) the availability of local resources to combat |
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wildfires and adapt to droughts; and |
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(6) potential mitigation strategies for reducing the |
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risk of and damage caused by droughts and wildfires. |
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(b) In conducting the study, the division shall solicit and |
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consider information from: |
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(1) the Department of Public Safety; |
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(2) the Department of Agriculture; |
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(3) the Parks and Wildlife Department; |
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(4) the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality; and |
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(5) other agencies, municipalities, and environmental |
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organizations as necessary. |
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SECTION 3. REPORT. Not later than March 1, 2024, the |
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division shall submit to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the |
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speaker of the house of representatives, and each standing |
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committee of the legislature with primary jurisdiction over the |
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division, the Department of Public Safety, the Department of |
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Agriculture, the Parks and Wildlife Department, and the Texas |
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Commission on Environmental Quality a written report that includes |
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a summary of the study and any legislative recommendations based on |
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the study. |
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SECTION 4. EXPIRATION. This Act expires January 1, 2025. |
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SECTION 5. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect |
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immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members |
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elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas |
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Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for |
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immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |