Things move very quickly at this stage in the legislative process. The Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance provided an Earth Day update (4/22/21) with some great news:
The Texas legislature is giving us some real reasons to celebrate Earth Day!
We are delighted to inform you that yesterday the House of Representatives voted final approval to one of our favorite bills of this session. HB 2350 will fund rain gardens, green roofs, constructed wetlands, land preservation, and other “nature-based” strategies for reducing water pollution, flooding and impacts of drought. The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has pledged to dedicate up to $4.5 million per year for the new Water Resource Protection Program.
Thanks to Representative Erin Zwiener and Environment Texas’ Anna Farrell-Sherman for making this happen – and, especially, thanks to all of you who contacted your representatives to urge support for this wonderful legislation!
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On other good news, HB 4146 by Representative Tracy King, which will prohibit direct discharge of waste water effluent into our pristine Hill Country streams, was voted favorably out of committee yesterday.
We need two actions from you to get this legislation to the finish line:
- Please contact the chair of the House Calendar Committee, Representative Dustin Burrows (dustin.burrows@house.texas.gov) and request that he forward HB 4146 for a vote of the House.
- Contact Lt. Governor Dan Patrick to request that the Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs schedule a vote on HB 4146 companion SB 1747 by Senator Zaffirini ASAP. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick – phone 512-463-5342 / dan.patrick@ltgov.texas.gov / https://www.ltgov.texas.gov/contact/
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Another reason to celebrate Earth Day! HB 2716 – a bill that allow the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to contest permits that might threaten our State Parks – was voted out of the House Natural Resources Committee this morning on an 8-2 vote. Reps Larson and Paul voted against the bill. Vice-Chair Harris was absent. Five Democrats voted for it (King, Bowers, Lucio, Ramos, Walle) and three Republicans voted for it (Kacal, Price, Wilson).
Our thanks to Chairman King and the representatives who voted for the bill, and many thanks to all of you who have helped get the bill to this point! Now it’s on to the Calendars Committee and hopefully the House floor in a timely manner.
Things are moving fast at the Capitol so, stay tuned for more news on these and other great bills – and – alerts on how you can make a difference.
Tune in at noon Friday, April 23 to learn more about Clean Water for Texas Cities.
More background, contact information, and how to submit comments: Speak for Water at the Capitol post