Abbott's Special Session Agenda Includes Disaster Warning System Improvements

Tribune News Service — Gov. Greg Abbott has added several Hill Country flooding items to the special session agenda, which begins at noon on July 21.

The agenda has 18 items, including four legislative items dedicated to relief funding for the Hill Country flooding, flood warning system improvements, strengthening flood emergency communications and natural disaster preparation and recovery.

“We delivered on historic legislation in the 89th Regular Legislative Session that will benefit Texans for generations to come,” Abbott said in a press release. “There is more work to be done, particularly in the aftermath of the devastating floods in the Texas Hill Country. We must ensure better preparation for such events in the future.”

Before the special session agenda announcement, U.S. Rep. Craig Goldman of Fort Worth told the Star-Telegram it’s common for legislators to dissect natural disaster emergency response and draft legislation accordingly.

“I feel assured that they’re going to have hearings at that time which is appropriate to figure out what went right, what went wrong,” Goldman said. “And if things went wrong, then they will either pass legislation or make sure the proper solutions are put in place to attempt to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

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