You probably haven't heard much about it, but a Houston lawmaker has filed a special session bill to reform the struggling Harris County Flood Control District.
It's House Bill 253, filed by Houston state representative Dennis Paul.
"State rep. Dennis Paul has filed this legislation to wrest control of the Harris County Flood Control District away from Harris County Commissioners Court, which has come under fire for the way that they've managed flood mitigation" said reporter Holly Hansen, who wrote in-depth about the bill for The Texan.
As she notes in her article, projects approved by voters in 2018 are in jeopardy as HCFCD reports a significant funding shortfall of at least $1.34 billion. This comes after voters approved a $2.5 billion dollar bond initiative back in 2018 in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.
"There have been complaints that they haven't actually spent the money well or wisely" Hansen told KTRH, "And here we are this far down the road, and some of these projects have not even gotten of the ground."
It all comes down to mitigation mismanagement, which is why there are now so many calls to get the state involved.
"What Paul's bill would do, it would allow the Governor to appoint 5 members of a board that would oversee the flood mitigation" noted Hansen, who also pointed out that residents in Galveston and Brazoria Counties have expressed interest in a regional flood control district.
If HB 253 passes in the special session, the reform would have to ultimately be approved by Harris County voters.