House Bill 2416, sponsored by Rep. Dennis Paul, R-Houston, aimed to create a trust fund to allow extra federal funds to be deposited for future and current Gulf Coast protection projects. One such project is the coastal spine, a series of gates between Galveston Island and Bolivar Peninsula to protect Galveston Bay from flooding during hurricanes.
With a few separate projects in the works, the goal was to begin depositing money that could be invested by the state’s comptroller, which would help fund those projects further, Paul said.
“We didn’t fund anything [with the bill],” Paul said. “But it’s a start to get something going on it and showing the seriousness of the state.”
However, due to some technical wording within the bill, Abbott vetoed the bill in June.
In a proclamation issued following the veto, Abbott reiterated Texas’ “rock-solid commitment” to protecting its coastline. But he took issue with the bill’s text requiring “any” money to go toward just projects within the Texas Gulf Coast Protection District, which includes several coastal counties, including Galveston County, and currently contains two projects with the potential to add a third, Paul said.
“I look forward to working with the author on enacting language that will achieve its intended purpose,” Abbott said in the proclamation.
Paul said he thinks there is support for the bill, and making the needed changes should be “an easy fix.” He added he expects a follow-up bill to come up at some point during upcoming special sessions with different wording.
However, it will likely come after the state finishes dealing with its questions about property taxes, Paul said, which Abbott and others have called a top priority in this year’s session.
“What we need is for the community to support the trust fund and ask the governor to stick it on a special session so we can get something done,” Paul said.
Created in 2021, the Texas Gulf Coast Protection District contains more than 5,000 square miles of land across Harris, Galveston, Chambers, Jefferson and Orange counties, according to its website.
A bill passed earlier this year also makes Brazoria County eligible to join, Paul said.
While HB 2416 did not provide any funding, the state in another bill, House Bill 1, did provide about $550 million to the district, according to a June 20 news release from the district.
