State Sen. Paul Bettencourt isn’t sure 30 days will be enough time to address 18 agenda items during the special session.
HOUSTON — Even before lawmakers return to Austin for the special session, members of the joint House and Senate Disaster Preparedness and Flooding committee have already scheduled public hearings.
The first hearing is scheduled for July 23 in Austin, two days after the special session starts. And a second hearing is scheduled for July 31 in Kerrville.
State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, tells us one of the reasons lawmakers are holding the hearings is to make sure they have enough facts to make substantial, and lifesaving, changes to state law.
The Houston Republican says there is plenty of technology they can turn to in an effort to prevent another flooding tragedy like the recent July 4 event in the Hill Country that killed at least 135 people.
Bettencourt will introduce legislation during the special session that, in essence, will combine old tech sirens with new tech cell phones.
“That’s the bill I’m working on with the Lower Colorado River Authority that will look at sirens with Starlink towers, 5G so we’ve got redundancy, multiple messages, etc.. And really what you’re trying to do is layer on. You want to get people’s attention,” the Republican told us on Inside Texas Politics.
Bettencourt says part of the problem in the area of the state known as “flash flood alley,” where the flooding tragedy took place, is that it is difficult to get a cell signal down by the Guadalupe river.
And alerting folks to danger in that situation is particularly important, same as a warning needed in the middle of the night.
“The real problem is that in the middle of the night with these turned off (he said while holding his cell phone), or picked up in a camp, you have to get people’s attention. And there’s nothing like an old school siren to get that attention. But you have to make sure it’s triggered correctly, we’ve got gauges that tie into it,” the Senator explained.
And Bettencourt’s legislation is one of many flood-related bills lawmakers will consider. He stresses that legislation is designed for any flood-prone area in the state.
The big question is whether 30 days will be enough time for lawmakers to address several significant issues that are included in the special session agenda.
Other topics include narrowing a possible THC ban, eliminating the STAAR test and controversial Congressional redistricting. There are 18 total agenda items.
Bettencourt said he isn’t sure there are enough days to tackle everything.
“I could use some clones,” he said with a laugh. “It’s jam packed. It’s going to be quite a busy special session. And we’re going to get as much done as we can. That’s just the way it works.”
The special session will begin on Monday, July 21.
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