Bill Text: TX HR22 | 2025 | 89th Legislature 2nd Special Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Honoring the first responders who provided aid to those impacted by the Texas Hill Country floods of July 2025.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)
Status: (Passed) 2025-08-28 - Reported enrolled [HR22 Detail]
Download: Texas-2025-HR22-Enrolled.html
| H.R. No. 22 | ||
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| WHEREAS, First responders from across the nation made | ||
| extraordinary efforts to save lives and assist in recovery efforts | ||
| in the wake of the flash floods that devastated the Texas Hill | ||
| Country in July 2025; and | ||
| WHEREAS, In the early hours of the morning on July 4, heavy | ||
| rains pummeled the Texas Hill Country and flooded the Guadalupe | ||
| River, with one section in Hunt cresting at 37.5 feet; the raging | ||
| torrent engulfed parts of Kerr County before continuing downstream, | ||
| and devastating flooding also took place in other areas in Central | ||
| Texas; hundreds of people were swept away in the storm; more than | ||
| 135 lives were lost as a result of the flooding, making the disaster | ||
| the sixth-deadliest freshwater flood in U.S. history; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Local and regional first responders quickly | ||
| mobilized to aid communities that were impacted by the storm; law | ||
| enforcement officers with the Kerr County Sheriff's Office, the | ||
| Kerrville Police Department, and other agencies throughout the area | ||
| bravely placed themselves in harm's way to conduct welfare checks | ||
| and respond to service calls in the flood zones; numerous | ||
| firefighters helped with search and rescue efforts, including Fire | ||
| Chief Michael Phillips of the Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire | ||
| Department, who tragically lost his life during a rescue attempt on | ||
| July 5; moreover, numerous Bexar County Emergency Service Districts | ||
| deployed boats, drones, ambulances, and technical personnel, and | ||
| the San Antonio Fire Department sent water rescue teams, medical | ||
| personnel, and an ambulance bus to assist in the field; and | ||
| WHEREAS, To support the flood response, the Texas A&M | ||
| Engineering Extension Service formed two task forces with swift | ||
| water rescue boat squads, urban search and rescue specialists, and | ||
| specially trained cross-disciplinary teams; statewide rescue | ||
| operations also utilized boats, helicopters, vehicles, and trained | ||
| personnel provided by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the | ||
| Texas Department of Public Safety and Texas Highway Patrol, and the | ||
| Texas National Guard; and | ||
| WHEREAS, At the national level, the U.S. Coast Guard made | ||
| invaluable contributions to rescue efforts, with one of the | ||
| agency's swimmers, Scott Ruskan, helping to rescue approximately | ||
| 165 people via helicopter deployments; the U.S. Department of | ||
| Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency | ||
| mobilized federal urban search and rescue assets as well as | ||
| logistical coordination, and the National Aeronautics and Space | ||
| Administration deployed aircraft through its Disaster Response | ||
| Coordination System; and | ||
| WHEREAS, A number of other states aided Texas by sending | ||
| vital resources such as search and rescue teams and K-9 units; among | ||
| the groups that provided interstate assistance were Colorado Task | ||
| Force 1, which sent 48 members, the Arkansas National Guard, which | ||
| sent 22 personnel, and the Louisiana Swift Water Rescue team, which | ||
| sent 14 specialists; help also came from Alabama, Arizona, | ||
| California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, | ||
| Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, | ||
| New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, | ||
| South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin; in addition, | ||
| K-9 teams were provided by Fundación 911 in Acuña, Mexico, and an | ||
| urban search-and-rescue team from the Czech Republic; and | ||
| WHEREAS, More than 2,000 individuals joined the coalition of | ||
| volunteers to help with rescues, debris removal, supplies and food | ||
| distribution, and other forms of community assistance; officials | ||
| also directed volunteers to organizations such as the Salvation | ||
| Army, the American Red Cross, and local churches; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Texans are profoundly grateful for the selfless and | ||
| courageous individuals who went above and beyond to aid flood | ||
| victims, and all those who contributed to the relief effort are | ||
| deserving of special recognition; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas | ||
| Legislature, 2nd Called Session, hereby honor the first responders | ||
| who provided aid to those impacted by the Texas Hill Country floods | ||
| and extend to them sincere appreciation for their actions. | ||
| Virdell | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Speaker of the House | ||
| I certify that H.R. No. 22 was adopted by the House on August | ||
| 27, 2025, by a non-record vote. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
