A new bill authored by State Rep. Bowers in the Texas House seeks to require a study on safeguarding public drinking water and wastewater systems from outages, weather events, and climate change, according to the Texas Legislature website.
The bill, introduced as HB 156 during the 89(2) legislative session on Friday, Aug. 15, was formally listed with the short title: ’Relating to the development and implementation of outdoor warning siren activation protocol, including the establishment of an advisory committee’.
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
In essence, the bill mandates the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to conduct a study to explore methods for safeguarding public drinking water supply systems and wastewater treatment facilities from electrical outages, catastrophic weather events, offenses under Chapter 424 of the Government Code, projected climate change effects, and other service disruptions. The commission is to consult with other state agencies or relevant individuals as necessary. A report with study findings and protective recommendations must be submitted to the governor and legislature by Sept. 1, 2026. This Act takes effect on Sept. 1, 2025.
Rhetta Andrews Bowers, the vice chair of the House Committee on Local & Consent Calendars, proposed no other bills during the 89(2) legislative session. She is also a member of the House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence and a member of the House Committee on Delivery of Government Efficiency.
Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.
You can read more about the bills and other measures here.
| Legislative Session | Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 89(1) | HB 187 | 07/23/2025 | Relating to the development and implementation of outdoor warning siren activation protocol, including the establishment of an advisory committee |
| 89(R) | HB 5591 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to opioid overdose training for peace officers |
| 89(R) | HB 5562 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to the authority of certain municipalities to use certain tax revenue from a hotel and convention center project |
| 89(R) | HB 4893 | 03/13/2025 | Relating to the establishment of a postsecondary advising program for students who are the first in their families to pursue postsecondary education or who are educationally disadvantaged |
| 89(R) | HB 36 | 03/03/2025 | Relating to the monitoring of certain family violence offenders, the provision of resources for family violence victims, and the collection of information about conditions of bond imposed in family violence cases and certain other criminal cases |
| 89(R) | HB 3283 | 02/25/2025 | Relating to the mission of governing boards of public institutions of higher education |
| 89(R) | HB 3085 | 02/20/2025 | Relating to a local option election on the sale of alcoholic beverages in certain areas of a municipality and the local regulation of premises in those areas |
| 89(R) | HB 2902 | 02/18/2025 | Relating to the establishment of the Supported Independent Living Program |
| 89(R) | HB 2664 | 02/11/2025 | Relating to the task force on racial diversity in the nursing workforce |
| 89(R) | HB 2493 | 02/05/2025 | Relating to the regulation of certain eviction-related service businesses |
| 89(R) | HB 2492 | 02/05/2025 | Relating to the period for which a person arrested for certain crimes involving family violence may be held after bond is posted |
| 89(R) | HB 1992 | 01/22/2025 | Relating to the establishment of the behaviorally at-risk student grant program to provide social and cognitive skills training to certain public school students |
| 89(R) | HB 1987 | 01/22/2025 | Relating to the regulation of abortion, including abortion complication reporting and the repeal of certain laws prohibiting abortion |
| 89(R) | HB 1986 | 01/22/2025 | Relating to the regulation of abortion, including abortion complication reporting and the repeal of certain laws prohibiting abortion |
| 89(R) | HB 1826 | 01/13/2025 | Relating to depression screenings for certain women in county jail or in the custody of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice |
| 89(R) | HB 1825 | 01/13/2025 | Relating to the exchange of certain information between the Department of Family and Protective Services or certain foster care services contractors and a state or local juvenile justice agency |
| 89(R) | HB 1824 | 01/13/2025 | Related to monitoring domestic violence offenders through advanced tracking systems to enhance victim safety |
| 89(R) | HB 1822 | 01/13/2025 | Relating to the jurisdiction of a juvenile court over certain persons and to the sealing and nondisclosure of certain juvenile records |
| 89(R) | HB 1821 | 01/13/2025 | Relating to information regarding the procedures and available resources for the sealing of juvenile records |
| 89(R) | HB 1820 | 01/13/2025 | Relating to the expunction of arrest records and files when a grand jury fails to find that probable cause exists to believe the alleged offense was committed |
