Bill Text: TX SB951 | 2025-2026 | 89th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the authority of the governor and the legislature regarding declared states of disaster.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-28 - Filed [SB951 Detail]
Download: Texas-2025-SB951-Introduced.html
| 89R2014 LRM-D | ||
| By: Johnson | S.B. No. 951 | |
|
|
||
|
|
||
| relating to the authority of the governor and the legislature | ||
| regarding declared states of disaster. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Section 418.014, Government Code, is amended by | ||
| amending Subsections (b) and (c) and adding Subsections (c-1), | ||
| (c-2), and (c-3) to read as follows: | ||
| (b) Except as provided by Subsection (c) or (c-1), the state | ||
| of disaster continues until the governor: | ||
| (1) finds that: | ||
| (A) the threat or danger has passed; or | ||
| (B) the disaster has been dealt with to the | ||
| extent that emergency conditions no longer exist; and | ||
| (2) terminates the state of disaster by executive | ||
| order. | ||
| (c) A state of disaster may not continue for more than 30 | ||
| days unless renewed by the governor, subject to Subsection (c-1). | ||
| The legislature by law may terminate a state of disaster at any | ||
| time. On termination by the legislature, the governor shall issue | ||
| an executive order ending the state of disaster. | ||
| (c-1) If the governor determines a state of disaster | ||
| requires renewal for more than 90 days from the date of the initial | ||
| disaster declaration, the governor may renew the state of disaster | ||
| only if: | ||
| (1) the joint disaster oversight committee appointed | ||
| in accordance with Subsection (c-2) conducts a public hearing on | ||
| renewal of the state of disaster; | ||
| (2) the legislature convened in a regular or special | ||
| session approves the renewal by a law that states the maximum number | ||
| of days the state of disaster may continue following renewal; and | ||
| (3) the governor's renewal of the state of disaster | ||
| expires not later than the date set by the legislature under | ||
| Subdivision (2). | ||
| (c-2) The legislature shall appoint a joint disaster | ||
| oversight committee. The committee consists of the chair and vice | ||
| chair of: | ||
| (1) the senate finance committee or its successor; | ||
| (2) the house appropriations committee or its | ||
| successor; | ||
| (3) the senate state affairs committee or its | ||
| successor; | ||
| (4) the house state affairs committee or its | ||
| successor; | ||
| (5) two additional senate committees selected by the | ||
| lieutenant governor; and | ||
| (6) two additional house committees selected by the | ||
| speaker of the house of representatives. | ||
| (c-3) The governor may not declare a new state of disaster | ||
| based on the same or a substantially similar finding as a prior | ||
| state of disaster described by Subsection (c-1) that the | ||
| legislature terminates or does not approve for renewal. | ||
| SECTION 2. Section 418.015(c), Government Code, is amended | ||
| to read as follows: | ||
| (c) During a state of disaster [ |
||
| boards, and commissions having emergency responsibilities. To the | ||
| greatest extent possible, the governor shall delegate or assign | ||
| command authority by prior arrangement embodied in appropriate | ||
| executive orders or plans, but this chapter does not restrict the | ||
| governor's authority to do so by orders issued at the time of the | ||
| disaster. | ||
| SECTION 3. The changes in law made by this Act to Section | ||
| 418.014, Government Code, apply only to an executive order or | ||
| proclamation issued or renewed under that section on or after the | ||
| effective date of this Act. | ||
| SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. | ||
