Enrolled Bill Summary

House Bill 2416	House Author:  Paul et al.
Effective:  Vetoed	Senate Sponsor:  Alvarado et al.

            House Bill 2416 amends the Natural Resources Code to create the gulf coast protection account as a dedicated account in the general revenue fund to be administered by the General Land Office (GLO) to pay for expenditures that satisfy the following conditions:

·        the expenditures are eligible for credit towards the non‑federal match of the Coastal Texas Protection and Restoration Feasibility Study Final Integrated Feasibility Report and Environmental Impact Statement issued by the Galveston District, Southwestern Division, of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers;

·        the expenditures comply with the terms of a local cooperation agreement executed by the GLO and the Gulf Coast Protection District; and

·        the expenditures are for projects that are necessary or useful for the protection of the portion of the gulf coast located within the district's territory.

Governor's Reason for Veto: "Texas has a rock‑solid commitment to protecting its hundreds of miles of beautiful coastline. House Bill No. 2416 was proposed as part of that commitment. Unfortunately, the bill's text would require the deposit of any federal money the State receives for coastal protection into an account that can be spent only on a small portion of the Gulf Coast, if at all. I look forward to working with the author on enacting language that will achieve its intended purpose."